Sakura's New Future
by MarzSpy
Summary: The war is finally over, Madara defeated. With a new era of peace ushering in, Sakura now focuses on reclaiming her title as Haruno Clan Leader and establishing her mark on the political world. But with Itachi still amnesic, the Shinobi Lands in shambles, the Daimyo down her throat, and Danzo scheming right around the corner, everything is easier said than done. Sequel to SNP
1. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form.**

 **Chapter 1: Aftermath**

Marika had waited in baited breath -along with everyone else in the Allied Forces in fact, to hear back from Sakura's team. They had lost communication with them after Madara had been resurrected, and had to guess as to what was happening over there, although seeing Sakura's cherry blossom trees did much to give them hope that everything was alright.

Although it was a little more disconcerting when the cherry blossom trees had disappeared, they had continued their fight against the Zetsu clones -it would do them no good to assume _why_ they had vanished, for they did not know if it was because Sakura had de-summoned them or because... well, she'd rather not think it. And so that's exactly what she did: block it out of her memory. Fight.

But their battle had waged on for most of the day, and with the help of Sakura's cherry blossoms for the time that they had been up, the Konoha front had successfully repelled all of the Zetsu forces (it did not hurt that they had Jiraiya's monstrous strength for help) -and report on Mei's, Onoki's, and Gaara's fronts had come back in a similar fashion, although all of these fronts currently lacked their Kage to hold their own.

They had waited -rather impatiently, to hear back from the platoon that they had sent out to defeat Madara, and soon enough the sun began to set; and with its departure came Tsunade, with the news that Sakura's team would be making their way over there when they found themselves capable of doing so -a statement worrisome indeed.

Marika and Daichi, among many others, namely Tsunade and the Rookie 12 that were within the army, did not get a wink of sleep the day before and did not even think to rest, grimly staring over the horizon silently and hoping that everyone they had sent out into that battlefield would come back to them in one piece.

Hours passed from there.

The sun was nearing its complete retreat over the horizon, Marika trying her best to remain awake, but failing miserably; she would doze off for minutes at a time and come rushing back to consciousness, simply because even in her dreams she was overwhelmed with anxiety and stress -that is, until a watch man, someone who she knew to be Kotetsu, had barged into her sleeping quarters, shared with Daichi. "We've spotted them! Team Sakura! They're making their way here!"

In an instance both had rushed to their feet and ran past Kotetsu, where a crowd was already gathering -apparently everyone had been alerted of their arrival, and Daichi and Himawari pushed themselves past the crowds to see the approaching figures before them -about ten in total.

The first people she spotted was Naruto, carrying the figure of Sakura in a bridal fashion which Marika knew would have her younger sister in a fit ( but obviously she was still too exhausted to move), and beside them Kakashi and Sasuke, carrying between them one Uzumaki Nagato as she had never expected for him to actually look, his eyes bandaged.

Just behind them was Konan and Kisame, who had on his back Himawari. Although looking exhausted, she had this exuberant energy to her, even now (had any of them slept?

And last but not least, were the figures of Sayuri and Hiroto, both leaning on each other as they walked forward.

Although filled with glee at seeing that everyone was alive and relatively okay, a frantic panic began to fill Marika's being, for she was also keenly aware of the fact that there were two figures missing from the dilapidated but victorious members of Team Sakura, both of which Uchiha and entirely too important too both her and Sakura.

 _Where was Shisui?_

 _And of Itachi?_

The thought was pushed to the back of her mind for the time being, as she, Daichi, and Tsunade rushed forward to greet their shinobi and perhaps aid them in their arrival.

"Sakura-chan!" Marika rushed first and foremost to her younger sister, as Naruto gently set her to her feet, even as he asked "Are you sure you can stand, Sakura-chan?"

No, she wasn't sure, but she didn't want to look entirely useless in front of her entire village -as such, she lied and confirmed that yes, she was sure, and allowed Naruto to put her on her feet. She took but two steps and promptly fell right into Marika's arms, although Marika merely allowed Sakura to drag her slowly onto her knees. "I'm so glad you are all okay." Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "I was so worried..." Truth be told, it was more worrisome knowing that her family was far away from her fighting a legend, while she was elsewhere unable to help them.

"Gomen Marika-nee." Sakura smiled up at her, bringing up her hand to wipe away Marika's tears.

Marika merely shook her head vehemently, her eyes turning to examine the remaining shinobi -and with this, once more the realization that Shisui and Itachi were not among them crept up on her, and she turned to Sakura once more in a panic. "And of Itachi?" The inherent curiosity of Shisui's whereabouts was also there, but she knew she could not ask this out loud.

The tension had returned once more, and Sakura's eyes had grown weak and filled with turmoil, tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. In fact, she dare not give Marika a response as she looked down at the floor.

"Uchiha Itachi was killed in battle." Tsunade answered the question that Sakura could not answer, and it had brought on a surge of fear and panic within Marika, who turned to look from Tsunade back onto her younger sister. For Tsunade to know this, it meant that he had already been defeated by the time that she had arrived to help them.

 _'No...'_

The world around her seemed to spin out of control, as whispers from the shinobi behind them went up in rushed shocked _-the_ Uchiha Itachi had been the only casualty in the war? Perhaps the strongest shinobi out of the bunch had been taken out? And if that had been the case, how had the rest of them survived?

And what did this mean of Shisui? She was almost too afraid to ask, but she did not want to put her sister's distraught state behind her own selfish desires. "Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry... I-" But she stopped herself -quite frankly, what could she say? Nothing she spoke would alleviate Sakura's torture right now. Definitely not right now, and especially not in front of the thousands of shinobi staring at the scene before them.

"Don't worry about me, Marika-nee." Sakura had finally looked back up, wiping away the tears that had yet to spill from her eyes. "I'll be fine."

But Marika couldn't help but wonder how that could possibly be -no, there was no way she could be fine. Kami knew if she found out that Shisui hadn't made it back either- But as a matter of fact, if Shisui indeed had passed away, Marika would be an absolute wreck right now -so why was Sakura not in the same state? Was she simply putting up a front for all of her comrades to see? Or was there something more to the story?

Marika's eyes had turned from pained empathy to confusion, and Sakura could understand what she wanted to ask, but felt obviously too uncomfortable to do so. Either way, Sakura had brought Marika closer into an embrace, her lips brushing lightly against her older sister's ear. "Play along. They're fine." Sakura explained dutifully, knowing fully well what was eating away at Marika, despite her not even asking on Shisui's behalf.

They had pulled away for several seconds, and although Marika looked on with a renewed expression of confusion, she turned to look at Sasuke -who although worse for wear and clearly troubled, was not a distraught mess as she would expect one to be after finding out that their brother had died.

No -something was amiss.

And Sakura had said they expressly; she could only mean Shisui and Itachi, for they were the only ones they had not returned with. Before Marika could do anything else though, somebody behind her had cleared their throat, and Marika was forced to release Sakura and turn to stare at the towering figure of their Hokage. "I take it everything went well?"

The tension in the air was near suffocating, as everyone, included the hundreds of shinobi in the background, waited for Sakura to speak.

"Hai. Madara and Obito were defeated -Orochimaru fled, though." Sakura responded solemnly.

But this was all the confirmation they needed, and with this statement cheers erupted in the crowds, but even so, just a few seconds later Tsunade had lifted her hand to silence their shinobi, clearly wanting to speak once more -and silence they did. "Sakura, we would not have won this battle without you." Tsunade admitted honestly -because in between Sakura's Rinnegan, her hundreds upon hundreds of cherry blossoms that had encompassed the grounds of battle and healed literally everyone, and her battle against Madara, everyone knew that had they not had Sakura helping out, there would have been hundreds more casualties by the end of the war. "We would not all be here were it not for you."

"Iie, Tsunade-shishou, it was Sasuke-kun and Naruto who-"

"Hai... it was them too -but you saved us. In fact, all of you helped to achieve victory in this war." Sakura was going to argue against it, but she had not had the time to speak, as suddenly Tsunade bowed before Team Sakura -and accordingly, so did the shinobi behind her, until everyone was suddenly bowing before them.

Sakura's face turned a fearsome shade of red, but alas, she could not even stand, so she had to just sit there and take it, as she, Naruto, Sasuke looked away in embarrassment -for it was because of them specifically that Madara had been defeated, and everyone knew that, and accordingly even the other shinobi that had been a part of Team Sakura had bowed before the trio of nin -now legends in their own respects, despite their young age.

But of course, this moment had been interrupted by a loud grumbling, and all eyes turned to Naruto, now blushing as well. "Baa-chan, I haven't eaten all day, is there any food?"

Tsunade snorted -of course the baka would ruin the first time everyone had bowed to him as if he were a Kage. Nevertheless, his statement brought a smile to her face. "Hai -but let's focus on getting everybody healed first, nee?"

Accordingly, medics had rushed to their side, in particular to help Sayuri, Himawari, and Hiroto, whilst Tsunade stated that she would handle Team 7 and the mysterious nin in between Sasuke and Kakashi personally. "Marika, I want you in charge of the rest."

Marika nodded and made room, allowing Tsunade to approach the fallen figure of Sakura, who she picked up with an ease attributed to her enhanced chakra. "Gomen, Sakura... you've over-exerted yourself..." Tsunade stated with pity -just by running the slightest amounts of chakra into Sakura's system she could tell that her reserves were all but gone -it was sheer will power at this point that was keeping Sakura conscious, and she knew it would take the entirety of a week for Sakura to be up and running once more.

"Nevermind that, shishou. There's more pressing matters to discuss." Sakura whispered lowly, and Tsunade knew just by the way her eyebrows knitted together that this was serious and entirely to be kept under wraps.

"What's wrong?" She spoke, as she began to walk towards her tent -Sasuke and Kakashi still helping Nagato, and Naruto leading the rear, urging that none of the other medics on duty follow them.

"It's about Itachi... he-"

But Sakura did not have time to finish her sentence, for it was at this moment that Tsunade stepped into her tent-

-And was greeted by the sight of Itachi and Shisui themselves, the younger of the two Uchiha sitting on one of the beds, while the other stood by his side with a hand on his shoulder for support.

"...is alive..." Sakura finished quietly, even as the rest of Team 7 and Nagato entered the tent, Naruto making sure no one peeked in, as he sealed the flap closed.

"What in Kami's sake..." She damn near dropped her student at the sight.

* * *

After the surprise and shock of discovering both Uchiha in her tent (how had they snuck past everyone so quietly, especially in knowing that Itachi was blind before her?), she settled down in a lone chair, after Nagato had also been brought to a bed for examining.

And then the silence stretched as Tsunade simply stared at them (Was she hallucinating? No -that couldn't be right. But how had she left Sakura with one Akatsuki member and she returns with four?).

Finally with a heavy sigh, she parted her lips. "First and foremost, I'd like to know how you're alive, Uchiha." the atmosphere, which had been nothing but shock and confusion, had now turned serious as Tsunade stared at the Uchiha. She had seen the man die -hell, she had transplanted his very own eyes into Sasuke's. So how...?

Itachi did not respond -even for his standards, he was unusually quiet and on edge. "Kikyou used up the last of her strengths to bring him back..." Sakura stated seriously, answering for Itachi. Truth be told, he hadn't said a word after being told that he was amnesic (with the exception of nods and low "Ah"s). Perhaps he was still processing, or perhaps he felt as if he were surrounded by a sea of strangers, save for Kakashi, Shisui and Sasuke, the only three people he could remember from his timeline, save for knowing the name of Senju Tsunade.

Tsunade nodded in understanding. "I guess you're lucky..." he addressed him, although he was still unusually silent.

Sakura frowned. "Shishou... he's amnesic."

Tsunade blinked, twice, thrice. "Oh..." it was all she could say as she turned to stare at the nin -accordingly, she could now understand why his shoulders were so rigid and tense, why he hadn't said a word, and why, pray tell, Shisui had yet to release his hold on him, as if assuring the elder Uchiha. "Well, I suppose this does pose as a problem..." Even so, she would not hold back on the Uchiha. "How amnesic?" she spoke after several seconds of simply staring at the blind and silent Uchiha.

"As far as we can tell, severely." Sakura stated, her lips pursed into a frown -after all, he couldn't remember her at all, which meant that his amnesia most likely wiped out several years of his memory. "He doesn't even know who I am." Which spoke to the severity, because Sakura was now a part of his past that should be deeply ingrained in the nin -over ten years of history between them, of lingering memories and emotions that were suddenly all gone.

"Do you know who you are? Speak up Uchiha." she spoke sternly as she addressed the blind man.

There was no response, and as such Sasuke moved to sit alongside his aniki. With a hand on the shoulder not currently occupied by Shisui, he parted his lips. "Itachi-nii, it's alright. This is the Godaime Hokage; Senju Tsunade.

Itachi shifted, for the first time since Shisui had brought him to this foreign location moving, as he cleared his throat. "Hai; Uchiha Itachi, first son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.

Tsunade scowled. He was too tense -not that she could blame him, being surrounded by a sea of strangers after supposedly having been dead and now suddenly not. "It is good that you decided to sneak him in," Tsunade began with a sigh. "In any case, it means we have the upper hand."

"The upper hand against what?" Naruto frowned -was the war not over? What other enemies did they possibly have to deal with right now?

"Danzo, right?" Sakura spoke seriously from her location atop another bed alongside Nagato. "I figured keeping Itachi a secret for the time being would help us in case Danzo was snooping around." Sakura stated seriously.

Although Naruto seemed confused, he knew now was not the time to ask -Kami knows this Sakura knew much more than him, and kept too many secrets to count.

"Unfortunately, there is not much we can do for Itachi right now, until we can get him back into the village and run some tests on him. I fear there is too much on our hands for the time being." Tsunade spoke seriously, as she turned to eye Nagato and Sakura, both of which heavily wounded in their own ways. But her eyes shifted from her young disciple -if she could even call her that now, because it seemed to her Sakura was more than capable of fighting against her on even fields, to the older nin in question.

"Nagato," she addressed him calmly. Blind as he was, he was far more comfortable with his situation, waiting patiently for someone to address him. "You were an enemy to our village until recently -I cannot promise your safety if your identity is discovered."

"I do not expect lenient treatment, Tsunade." Nagato spoke seriously. "My foolish ideals and blind faith in Obito caused this war. I am no one to ask for such kindness." he spoke humbly. "I expect punishment -and I will welcome it. So many lives have been destroyed because of me. I have no right to beg for mercy."

"Even so, you aided us when you did not have to; and I will keep this in mind. For now, we will worry about returning you all to the village and seeing what can be done from there."

"When were you thinking about having us return, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi spoke seriously -truth be told his left eye could no longer see, as it had been over-used -he would need a week's rest just to be able to see again.

"I will first have to speak to the Kages'. I am sure they are awaiting for me to reach out to them." Tsunade stated seriously. "That being said, once we confirm Madara's death there is no real reason for us to remain here. I do, however, need to give you guys time to rest, or you will not be able to make the journey home. I need a pair of good shinobi to be able to escort the Uchiha back home undetected."

"You can leave that to me," Sasuke spoke confidently.

"Iie." Tsunade rejected. "You will have too many eyes on you; furthermore, Sakura will need help to travel, as well. You guys are all being revered as heroes; your absence will bring up questions, and we need to keep this as clean as possible for the time being."

"I'm fine, shishou." Sakura protested.

"You can lie to them all you want, but you cannot lie to me, Sakura. You are my student, and I know your limits." Tsunade spoke sternly. "You reached it a long time ago. If you try and work your body now you will cause permanent damage." her golden eyes stared right at Sakura. "You must rest, for there will be much to do once we return to the village."

Sakura grumbled incoherently, but said not a word to counter Tsunade. Accordingly, she turned to stare at Shisui. "I want you to wait for Marika in her tent; you need to be checked up by someone who knows of your existence. If you are deemed okay, I would like to assign you and Marika to escort Itachi home. Would you be alright with that?"

"I have no complaints, Tsunade-sama. Even if I have not been in the village for years now, Konoha is my home. I am your shinobi." Shisui bowed in respect.

Tsunade nodded in satisfaction. "I'm sure you can find your way into Marika's tent, then; if you were able to find your way in here, I'm sure you can manage that. I'll send word for her to meet you."

"Hai." With a nod, Shisui released his hold from Itachi, able to do so only because he knew Itachi would be okay so long as Sasuke was by his side, and began to walk away.

With a sigh, Tsunade turned her focus onto the remaining shinobi. "Let's see what I can do about patching you all up, then."

* * *

"They sure did a number on you." Marika scowled, examining her elder cousin with her healing chakra. "You're not as young as you once were, Hiroto. Even Saki managed better off than you."

"Saki's got a useful contract she can make use off," Hiroto scowled as he glanced at Saki -already done with her treatment and simply standing there to converse with Daichi.

"I don't care to hear your excuses," Marika remarked with a roll of her eyes. "You'll need to lay off your arm for the next few days to allow the spider fractures to mend all the way. As it stands I don't have enough chakra to do everything for you." As she spoke, she stopped the flow of healing chakra to Hiroto's arm and turned, taking her gloves off all the while. "Alright, whose next?"

But before she could get her hands on Himawari, a young kunoichi made her way into the medic's tent. "A-Anno... sorry for the interruption..." she spoke meekly, noticing that before her were two S-Class rogues, although both blue-haired former Akatsuki members seemed entirely complacent as they listened to the medics currently healing them. "Marika-sama, Tsunade-sama has asked for you -something about going to your tent to check on something?"

Marika's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she nodded and excused herself quickly, stating that she would be back soon enough -she had probably left a letter for her or something, not that she couldn't understand why the medic hadn't just delivered it here. Accordingly, she trudged on, already exhausted, in between healing Saki and Hiroto, and having had not an ounce of sleep the entire day before. Without giving it much thought, she entered her tent, her eyes immediately scanning for some sort of scroll or letter-

But she found none, and rather, she was not alone in the tent -and with bewildered eyes she stared up at the figure of Shisui -granted, she had ran smack into his chest, having not expected somebody to be two inches away from the flap.

Accordingly, she was about to yelp, clearly startled, but Shisui had merely held his hand to her mouth, a grin on his features. "It's good to see you too, Marika." he stated sarcastically.

Marika glared, removing his hand from her lips as she turned to close the flap on her tent, lest anybody see the man in there. "What are you doing here? Sakura-chan told me you were supposed to stay away." Her back was still facing him, perhaps because she didn't want him to see her flushed face.

"I was in Tsunade's tent conversing with everyone -but I wanted to see you."

-Oh and now it was even redder. "Okay, well, congratulations, here I am." she stated sarcastically. "What do you think is going to happen if people see you he-?" she sighed once more, trying to regain her breathing (and calm her raging cheeks), and she turned to face him once more, but she did not get to finish her sentence.

For the moment she had turned, she had found Shisui's lips directly on hers, and all she could do was stand there, eyes wide, too shocked to even reciprocate the kiss, until Shisui once more retreated, the grin on his face having never left. "Gomen -I had to do that. I've been waiting too long." he admitted honestly, scratching the back of his head hesitantly. "Given your response, or lack thereof, I take it you don't feel the same." And why did he say that so coolly, as if he weren't affected by the news, that stupid grin never leaving his features?

Something within Marika snapped, and she instead glared. "How dare you," as she spoke, she poked him in the chest harshly, "decide to do this after we could have possibly died, you stupid Uchiha." Hell yeah she was angry -why couldn't he have let her admit to her feelings the last time she had seen him? Quite frankly, when she didn't see him alongside Team Sakura, she had thought, even if just for a few minutes, that he had died, and it had built up a dread within her like no other.

"Gomen." Shisui stated with a frown. "I just -I didn't want to get my hopes up." He admitted honestly. "The chances of me not coming back alive were high, given who our opponents were. I didn't want to start something that I wouldn't be able to see through to the end." And there it was, just the slightest shades of pink tinting his cheeks, and it made Marika's stomach churn with emotion. He gave a defeated sigh and once more spoke. "I know I'm probably not ideal -granted, I'm sure there's many men who could give you more than I could-"

But now it was Marika's turn to cut him off, poking him once more in the chest. "You think I care about that? Kami if that was the case I would have married the Daimyo's son years ago." she rolled her eyes. "I have been irreparably single all of my life hoping that this dunce of an Uchiha would realize how I feel and make a move, but nooooo..." she glared.

But that was all the confirmation that Shisui needed, and with Marika's indirect proclamation of her feelings for the nin, Shisui broke out into a smile filled with elated happiness. He had always believed Marika deserved better, more than he could ever give her, and he was relieved to find that, all along, she had been in the same boat as he.

But at that moment he looked so breath-takingly handsome, and Marika couldn't help the blush that returned to her cheeks.

"So you mean to tell me you've liked me all this time?"

-And there he went, ruining the moment, doing this weird thing with his eyebrows as he stared at Marika funnily.

"..."

"..."

"You know what? I change my mind, I don't know what I saw in you. Please leave my tent."

Shisui released a laugh from his throat, but did not back down as he pulled Marika to him and wrapped his hands around her. "I refuse."

"Let go of me." Marika stammered.

"Hmmm... Nah, I'll pass."

"Shisui." she threatened.

"So long as I live I will never let go." he teased once more -little did Marika know that, despite the joking undertone, there was much truth to his words.

"I won't ask again." she warned him.

"I guess you'll just have to fight me." Shisui ignored her.

Marika grinned. "With pleasure." Given her close proximity to the nin, it was quite easy for her to trip him with a little help from her Jasmines, and he had fallen right onto her sleeping bag.

-Granted, Shisui had seen this coming and had merely allowed it to happen, taking delight in the fact that she too fell with him, now placed ungracefully on top of him (did he mention he had yet to release her?). "Well Marika, if this is what you wanted you could have just said so."

Her face got even redder, if possible, and out of sheer panic she began to fidget wildly, anything to get away from that man because Kami she swore she was going to pop a nose bleed any second now, but Shisui did not relent -instead, he turned to the side and brought her face closer to his. "This is nice, isn't it?" he hummed out.

"Holding me against my will?" she glared straight at his amused orbs, if only because they were so close, it was the only thing she could glare at.

"Shhhh" Shisui silenced her, as if asking her to stop being dramatic, closing his eyes as he did so. "We should do this more often."

She fidgeted a little bit more, even going as far as asking her jasmines to help her.

But with a mischievous snicker, they, for the first time ever, refused to acknowledge Marika's demands. ' _We won't help you out of this one, Mistress. Gomen.'_ As such, the jasmine bud that had emerged earlier had disappeared once more and then she was left with a displeased frown on her face. With a new found anger and agitation, she began to squirm under his embrace once more, before she gave up with a defeated sigh and allowed Shisui to smother her. Truth be told, despite her embarrassment, she had only ever dreamed of being this close to the man -of hugging him and _-Oh my Kami they had shared a kiss! Granted, she hadn't kissed him back because she was too shocked, but a kiss nonetheless...!_ She swallowed this thought down because she knew it would only mean the death of her. "People will start to wonder where I went, you know."

"Just a little while longer, okay?" his voice was so gentle -so vulnerable, it had caught Marika off guard as she stared at his face.

Despite his relentless teasing, he was just as vulnerable as she was, and it made her heart flutter with a different kind of happiness. But then from his eyes, his long lashes framing his features beautifully, her eyes traveled down to his pointed nose and beautiful cheek bones until they settled on his lips, her stomach churning once more with untold desires. "I'd like to try that again, if you wouldn't mind." she spoke hesitantly.

"Try what?" As he spoke, he peeked one eye open.

But Marika did not wait for permission, instead allowing her lips to once more join his –an act which had surprised Shisui and had left his face to flush red this time, but he did not miss a beat to reciprocate the affection. And that's when Marika felt it -all the love and affection that they had been holding back, the warmth of his touch and the gentleness of his moves.

This had been right all along, they had both just been too scared to act on it.

They pulled away several seconds later, Marika beet red and Shisui the slightest shades of pink -but they did not speak, simply lay there and stare at each other in a way that sealed their feelings and their intentions in stone.

"So what now?" Marika finally spoke after a while.

"Tsunade-sama asked me to come visit you so you could check my injuries -and if I was cleared, she wanted to assign the two of us to escort Itachi into the village -secretly, of course. After that we can see about me no longer being dead, because I have no intentions of walking away from you again."

Although his statement had made her blush, Marika scowled at the same time. "You couldn't just start with that?"

Shisui chuckled. "I could, but where would be the fun in that? _-Ouch, hey!_ " he had been silenced once more, but not by Marika's lips.

* * *

It was dark once more; between healing their comrades and communicating with the other fronts of the war, what was left of the day had dragged on unbearably slow -somewhat slugging exhaustion washing over the Allied Ninja Forces as the news of their victory spread and although clearly joyful, suddenly the events of the war began to sink in -particularly of the lives that had been lost, and of anxiousness awaiting for the friends in other fronts of the war to finally communicate with them.

Even so, Naruto's rallying call had done wonders to boost the morale among the Konohagakure camp -and with Naruto at the helm of all the attention, it had left Sakura to comfortably and calmly nestle herself next to Tsunade and disappear into the background, even as Sai and Marika approached them with two blue-haired figures in tow, both chained, although not very securely guarded (seeing as they were of no real threat) mostly to qualm the concerns of the surrounding shinobi.

After being healed, as was promised, Kisame was delivered to Tsunade, Konan following behind him simply through obligation -her guilt would not allow her to escape the consequences of this war that she was partially at fault for starting.

"It is good to see you both well." Tsunade stated calmly, eyeing the two former Akatsuki members.

"Hai." Kisame agreed calmly. "In any case," he began, "a deal's a deal, Tsunade. You can tell Mei that I'll be awaiting my punishment thusly; she does not have to worry about me trying to run away."

"Sai, release them." Tsunade ordered calmly, and with a lift of her hand, Sai had bowed and undid the chakra enhanced cuffs at both of their wrists. "You two are dismissed for the time being. Please gather Team Gai and have them wait for me in my quarters. Arigatou." With another bow, Marika and Sai left, leaving Tsunade and Sakura alone with the two former Akatsuki members. "Although I cannot speak on Mei's behalf, I will ask her for a lenient punishment. You deserve as much, after everything you've done to help us." Tsunade stated calmly.

Kisame snorted. "Nothing I do will ever make up for what I've done in my lifetime." he reasoned logically. "But I've come to terms with that; whatever decision Mei will come to, I will respect it."

Tsunade nodded, knowing there was not much else she could offer the nin. "The Kage's will convene at this location; when they arrive I will hand you off to her."

"And how long will that be?"

"Sometime within the next three hours, I estimate." Tsunade responded curtly.

"Hai. Arigatou." He thanked once more with a nod.

Tsunade parted her lips, wishing to say something on Kisame's behalf, but closed them once more, knowing anything she would say now to be futile. Instead, her eyes shifted to the kunoichi -a kunoichi whose fate she could instead decide. "You...-" she began, taking a pause to eye the kunoichi up and down. Despite the hardened look in the kunoichi's pointed expression, there was a softness in her remorseful eyes, and not to mention deep troubled concern over her partner's health. "Kaede, right? Sakura has told me about you."

"Hai." Konan bowed slightly to the Kage -perhaps in another lifetime, it would have been her Kage. But not as things stood -her heart and loyalty lie elsewhere, past Tsunade, being guarded by Sasuke within the confines of her tent.

The silenced stretched on as Tsunade struggled to determine what to do here. "Truth be told, we have no real evidence that ties you to Akatsuki activity other than your own account. As far as I'm concerned, you're just a long-lost Konoha kunoichi who happened to land herself in Ame."

If nothing else, Konan was relieved to hear these words, and knew it had entirely to do with Sakura too, who sat alongside Tsunade with a small, exhausted smile on her features. "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Nagato. And although I promise to take good care of him for the time being, I alone am not capable of making the decision of what is to come to him; he has committed international crimes, and as such, the other Kages' decisions heavily affect what will be done to him."

"I completely understand." Konan nodded with regret and pain swirling in her eyes.

"However," Tsunade paused, "If you are at all inclined to take on the job, I would like for you to be the spokesperson fighting on his behalf. You know better than anyone why he did what he did; surely, if we can sway the other Kages into believing this was all part of Madara's manipulation-"

Although it was a slim chance, it was a chance nonetheless, and it gave Konan hope. With a smile, she looked back up to meet Tsunade's eyes. "Hai; arigatou. If it wouldn't be asking for too much, would it be alright for me to see him?"

Tsunade nodded and stood. "I will escort you; come."

Accordingly, it had left Sakura alone with Kisame, who calmly sighed and took a seat next to Sakura. The tense silence stretched on. "How's he doing?" Kisame finally spoke.

"Heavily amnesic still, although I didn't expect this to change during our journey here." Sakura mused out-loud, staring at the fire a distance from them.

"Ahh..."

More tense silence stretched on. "Do you know if he's still... _sick?_ " Kisame didn't exactly know what else to say -how else to phrase it. But even from the moment that he had seen Itachi rise up from the grave, he was still conscious of the fact that reviving oneself does not necessarily guarantee returning in perfect health; and they could see as much, because Itachi still looked like a deathly weak version of himself.

"I won't know until we return to Konoha and run some tests; as it is, I don't know what I'm looking for." Sakura admitted honestly, although she did instead rummage through her pocket to pull out the medicine bottle that Kisame had thrown at her earlier in their fight against Obito. "All I have is this." she murmured to herself.

Kisame sighed bitterly. "Sakura, no matter what happens-"

"I know." Sakura stated bitterly. "It wasn't my fault, right?"

Kisame frowned. "No matter what happens I've got your back." he instead said, a hand reaching out to grab her shoulder in a comforting manner.

With a sigh, Sakura turned to him. "How about you worry about yourself first, fish-face?" she tried to lighten the mood, if only because she knew that their down-trodden expression was soon to be noticed by her peers, and she didn't want any of them knowing just how deeply troubled she was. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you with Mei too."

Kisame snorted. To be honest, if he were to die now, he would be accepting of it. After all -who could say they've gone up against a fearsome Uchiha with prowess rivaling Madara and lived? But he would not tell Sakura he was already accepting of his death -he had made a promise to Itachi, and until his dying breath, he would make sure he did just that. "You're too kind."

* * *

The hustle and bustle, and not to mention the large influx of shinobi returning to their home (and the civilians too, for they had taken precautionary measures and evacuated the village), had made the perfect setting for Itachi and Shisui to be quietly and remotely extracted and brought into the village undetected alongside Marika. They had been brought to a secluded section of the hospital wing, where Marika had admitted Itachi under an alias and Shisui had been put on bodyguard duty. Then they had been notified by Tsunade to not make any more movements up until she and Sakura arrived to sort through all of the affairs, and so as to not raise suspicion, not even Mikoto could know that they had entered the village.

In the days that came the news had spread like wildfire -of one Uchiha Obito's defeat at the hands of the members of Team Sakura, and Madara's resurrection and eventual defeat by the star Genin Team 7, and of Uchiha Itachi's defeat in battle.

News that had rocked the entire village and had left Mikoto in near heartbreak.

But these tears were good -the devastation, the sheer agony it showed made the death all too real. The following day, the Konohagakure squad had finally arrived back home; bringing with them cheers and applauds from the villagers. And although many wanted to do nothing more than thank Team 7, Sakura had trudged on silently and with much purpose. She had restored enough chakra to walk -but nothing more, and she had been carried by Naruto most of the way here.

Mikoto and Saki had been waiting by the entrance too, both in a manner that showed to both Sasuke and Sakura that they had heard the news.

And although Naruto had basked in the glory, Sasuke and Sakura had walked straight to Mikoto and Saki -Sasuke welcoming his younger sister into his arms while Sakura and Mikoto exchanged a long-lasting hug.

And just those eyes -those regretful, saddened eyes on Sakura's being told Mikoto everything they had to. "Sakura-chan..." she didn't know what to say -didn't know what she could.

"Hospital room 131 on the right wing. Don't ask anyone."

If Mikoto was shocked or confused by the statement, she didn't show it, merely hugging Sakura, and then Sasuke without a word. Their greetings had been cut short, as Sakura had been expressly told to check herself into the hospital for a check-up -and Sasuke would see to it that she went.

Taking this as her queue, Mikoto had followed closely behind them, telling Saki to stay with Naruto for the time being so she could get to the bottom of whatever Sakura's message had been.

* * *

He heard shuffling before anything else -felt the chakra signature of four people approach him -3 of which he had already recognized from his time being "resurrected". The last one seemed familiar but different at the same time.

 _"Itachi-kun, my boy!"_

The voice he recognized though, (the first of its kind to make him feel like he was home) quite instantly despite the different chakra signature that he was used to -not that Sasuke had seemed all too alien, but it was hard to imagine that the eight year old child he had loved and cherished so dearly had now become a grown man in his own respect -puberty seemed an odd thought to him.

But his mother was timeless; despite the fact that his last recollection of her was that of his thirteen year old self, his mother sounded exactly as he remembered her to be -it probably did not hurt that he could not see her.

But it did not matter, and even though the hug that Mikoto had embraced him in seemed obtrusive to him, he had allowed the affection to overtake him, finally feeling a sense of normalcy in his life."You're alive. Thank Kami you're alive." she clutched onto her child -even if just for the briefest of days... to actually think that he had...

No, she would not think of it again.

"Gomen, Mikoto." Sakura apologized earnestly, her expression pained. "I didn't want to keep this from you, but it's best Itachi's state remain unknown right now. We thought it too risky to even inform you until we got here."

"Iie. I understand. You did what you had to."

"Hai." Tsunade nodded in agreement. "However, this isn't where our issues end, Mikoto." she spoke grimly. And for the third time since his supposed reincarnation, Itachi had to sit there as the current Hokage -Senju Tsunade, was it, and the apparent teammate of his brother, one Haruno Sakura, explained to Mikoto of Itachi's amnesic state.

"You're telling me he doesn't remember anything?" Mikoto whispered in aghast disbelief, turning to stare at her eldest soon -eye sockets still bandaged and composure still tense.

"As far as we can tell, his last memories seem to be of his thirteen year old self." Sakura assessed his condition thoughtfully.

But at this, Mikoto couldn't help but knit her eyebrows. "You mean to tell me he doesn't remember the-" But she cut herself off, in fear that it would alert Itachi -her poor son was already so anxious as it was, and she most definitely did not need to add anything else to the mix right now.

"It would seem not." Sakura shook her head in denial, answering Mikoto's unfinished question.

 _He did not remember the massacre._

"Itachi, I know this may seem like a really frightful situation to you, but can you tell us the last thing you remember?" It had been Sasuke who spoke this time -a voice that Itachi could make out and identify well enough, despite the passage of time.

Despite his apprehension, feeling the presence of his mother, her gentle, comforting hand upon his own, had given him the confidence to speak up. "I was returning from a mission when I stumbled upon a kunoichi in a clearing outside of the borders of Konoha."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Why did this eerily remind her of the first time she had met Itachi?

"This kunoichi -can you describe her?" It had been Sakura who spoke up this time.

"Iie, I cannot remember her features." Itachi denied politely. "All I know is that I delivered her to the hospital and notified Sarutobi-sama. Afterwards I returned home."

Sakura frowned. Why was everything so coincidental here?

"A-Annou..." There had been a disruption by the form of Shizune, who had entered the room nervously.

"What is it, Shizune?" Tsunade asked seriously.

"Neji's reconnaissance team is back from their scouting of Madara's lair. He says he needs to speak with you urgently."

Tsunade sighed, moving her hands to massage her temples -truth be told, the damage control following the war was becoming too much, in between having to deal with hiding Itachi's identity, trying to figure out what had happened, and sorting out the international affairs after the fact. "Mikoto, I leave Itachi to your care for the time being. Sakura, come with me."

Sakura turned with a slight frown of refusal, not moving an inch even as Tsunade began to walk away -immediately after returning to Konoha Sakura had rushed back here, hoping to be able to care for Itachi, but nearly as soon as she had gotten back she was once more being pulled away.

Although Tsunade understood Sakura's urgency and desire to stay by his side, there were things that Tsunade needed her for presently. "He will be here once you get back, Sakura." she instructed calmly.

"I know that, shishou but-" her words got stuck in her throat as she turned to stare at Itachi, busy conversing with Sasuke and Mikoto.

After having nearly lost him, separating from him was simply too much for her heart to bare -and quite frankly, according to Kisame's last words, _Itachi had been sick._ If these words were true, Itachi simply coming back to live did not put him in the clear -in fact, it was probably still prolonging the inevitable.

And so it had been, and Itachi had promptly been left with the likes of Mikoto and Sasuke -only immediate family, save for Saki because Itachi obviously knew not that he had a sister, and they wanted to show as much normalcy as possible for the time being.

With the exception of Sakura, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Shizune, none other than the Uchiha had been allowed entrance into the secured and secluded hospital room -truth be told, with the added exception of Naruto and the Haruno clan members, no one else knew that Itachi was even alive.

But this was relatively unimportant, she supposed.

* * *

It had been silent in the room after Tsunade and Sakura had left -Mikoto still tightly hugging her child but not knowing what to say, what with a magnitude of different thoughts running through her head, and Sasuke simply staring at his brother -banged up and bruised, eyes bandaged and his body weak and pale. Never before had he seen his brother so worse for wear, so... defeated, but thoughts of his dead body simply kept flashing through his mind.

 _'No, this is infinitely better.'_ He told himself. Despite his being blind, despite his amnesia -Itachi was alive, and that was all that mattered.

"Tsunade... she seems accustomed to her duties as Hokage..." Itachi finally spoke up, deciding that he didn't like this silence -he already couldn't see, and the silence, given how alienated he felt as it was, felt obtrusive and suffocating. More than anything, he wanted to feel caught up to current events -and now that he was back in Konoha and alongside his mother, he finally felt comfortable enough to speak up (not to mention that three days had passed since he had awoken once more, so he had had time to process everything).

"Hai." Sasuke stated with a nod, even if Itachi could not see it.

"And of Sarutobi?" Of course even though he knew the answer, he still had to ask -Sarutobi was, as far as he could remember, _his_ Hokage. Having to get used to that would take time.

Sasuke frowned. "He was ambushed by a joint attack on Konohagakure by Orochimaru and Suna six years ago. He gave his life to protect the village. He died an honorable death." Sasuke stated slowly.

"Ahh..." Itachi seemed hesitant to continue on with his next train of thought. "And of our family?" Perhaps the more relevant question.

There was some sort of tension in the air, as if Mikoto and Sasuke had been hoping this question would not come up -especially not so early on. But simply by the lack of response Itachi could already tell what the answer was. "Given the silence, I take it they are all gone." Although this was strange enough as it was, seeing as Shisui was alive -they had come to a joint agreement that Shisui would give his life for saving Konoha when the time came. So what had changed? Given his empty sockets, he knew his eyes now lay with someone else -meaning that they had had the Mangekyou in them for them to even be valuable enough to take. And how had he obtained them if his cousin was still alive?

Mikoto turned to Sasuke. "I believe this is something to be better discussed with the entire family. Perhaps later, when Shisui can join us... As it is, Saki has been waiting anxiously to see everyone..." Mikoto spoke, a bit worriedly. "We've kept her in the dark for far too long, Sasuke. She's a smart girl, there isn't much that gets past her."

"Saki?" Itachi asked in confusion. Who was she and why was she relevant to the topic at hand?

Sasuke frowned, staring at his currently blind elder brother as he and Mikoto realized their mistake. "She's our sister. My junior by eight years."

"..." Silence ensued in the room.

 _He had a sister?_

Given her age, it was likely that she was conceived before the Uchiha Massacre that he was accurately assuming had already occurred, and had spared only those previously mentioned -had she perhaps been the reason that he had decided to spare his mother?

 _Just how much information was he missing?_

* * *

Blind, Nagato had been taken back to Konoha in Konan's origami and supervised by one Sai, and forced to recover under heavy security. He had been healed and the dozens of metal rods previously protruding out of his body had been removed (courtesy of Shizune) having no more use for them, and while waiting to obtain new eyes, he had been left to silently mule over his actions and his future in solitude -Konan had to be elsewhere arranging for his safety and being the spokesperson to argue for his safe release.

But something was different; it had been the moment that Sakura's cherry blossom trees had been erected around them and he had felt their power surge through him.

His hand tightened into a tight fist as he tried to draw enough strength to move; Kami he had gone too long without moving his physical body now that his strength could be akin to a child's. His muscles had deteriorated, and it had made it impossible for Nagato to move on his own.

 _But he would not give up._

He had clicked on the locks for his wheelchair, positioned right in front of a window with a rail, and with much determination, he had grabbed onto said rail.

 _He could do this -he_ _ **would**_ _do this._

With a heavy sigh of concentration, he had pulled himself up, his knees hobbling precariously as they tried to accustom themselves to his weight.

And even though it hurt immensely and he could barely hold himself up, he had done it.

 _He had stood, even when his legs had been deemed irreparable many years before!_

"Nagato, I have your foo-"

Konan had entered his hospital room, but at the sight before her, the metallic tray in her hand had fallen straight to the floor, and with wide eyes she stared at Nagato, who turned with a strained, beaming smile on his features. "Konan." he greeted her even though he could not see her, but within the next few seconds his legs had once more given out, and he had fallen to the floor.

Konan had rushed to his side in an instant, ignoring the food, and had knelt before him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she looked over his weakened figure, pleased to find no real injuries.

But Nagato, as tired as he may be, looked up towards the sound of Konan's voice with, for the first time since Yahiko had died, hope. "I can walk, Konan."

Konan did not respond, but merely looked on in wide-eyed confusion.

* * *

Tsunade, Sakura, and Shizune had made their way back to Tsunade's office, where Neji, TenTen, and Lee had been waiting -rather tensely, it would seem, for Tsunade's arrival.

The introductions had been bipassed, as Tsunade examined their expressions -Lee's disturbed, Neji's grim, and TenTen's uncertain. "What did you find in there?" Tsunade stated seriously. Tsunade had originally thought of just destroying the lair in its entirety, fearful that within it could be anything that could lead to more disasters, but given what Sakura had sensed, quietly relayed to Tsunade during their healing session, she had warned her Kage (and aunt!) that maybe it was worth checking out at first; but Sakura was far too injured and exhausted, hell, most of the members of Team Sakura which she had sent out were, and as such she had had to entrust these matters onto other shinobi which she trusted with nearly as much discretion.

"Sharingan." Neji stated seriously. "Hundreds upon hundreds of Sharingan eyes, locked away and stored, as if for later use."

But at the mere comment, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock -and almost as if for added emphasis, Neji pulled out a scroll and unsealed it -within them lay two perfectly stored eyes of the very same nature that Neji had described.

"But how?" Sakura's eyes furrowed in confusion.

"Given how long Madara and subsequently Obito have been alive in the span of both their lives, is it truly unrealistic to see that they managed to steal and store so many Sharingan?" Neji asked seriously. "If I'm not mistaken, Orochimaru conducted similar experiments..."

And Neji was entirely right; these Sharingan had to have been collected long before the extermination of the Uchiha -or perhaps some even taken during the massacre itself. It seemed plausible, but it did not make it any less disturbing.

"What are you orders, Tsunade-sama?" TenTen stated hesitantly -as it stood, only the people in the room knew about what was hidden within that lair; none of the other Kage had given it any thought of checking the lair, as they also had damage control to deal with in their own cities but for the time being, were all resting and recuperating in the Konoha hospital -the closest city between all four.

"These eyes are dangerous, shishou." Sakura warned seriously. "If this gets out-"

"It won't get out." Tsunade affirmed seriously, looking at the eyes placed on the table. "These will go to Itachi -it is only right, seeing as he gave up his own to win this war." she determined with a bit of empathy. With Itachi, they could trust eyes such as these. "Shizune, I want you to inform the Kage's that we're having an emergency meeting to discuss what we have uncovered."

"Do we really want to notify them?" Neji asked with much apprehension. "This could lead to an international incident."

And Neji was right, but inversely, not telling them would be a sign of bad faith; and when they were this close to global peace, did Tsunade really want to affect that? "I have to put my faith in the relations that we are building with these nations." Tsunade admitted honestly. Truth be told, she was not at all concerned with how Gaara or Mei would take the news; it was more so A and Onoki who she had reservations over.

"You're making the right decision, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura affirmed with a confident nod. "Irregardless, these eyes are property of Konoha if no one else's -they cannot lay claims to it." Sure, they may want their hands on them, but anyone of them there could just as easily argue that these eyes had started too many wars as it was -why not limit their spread entirely?

"After what these eyes have started, I doubt anyone will have any protests about seeing the entirety of the base go up in flames." TenTen admitted honestly. "I think the last thing anyone else wants is for the power of the Sharingan to resurface again."

And TenTen was undoubtedly right, and it did much to ease their worries about the matter. "Sakura, I'm putting you in charge of Itachi's recuperation." Tsunade stated sternly. "I know you're exhausted, but now more than ever we need to get him to full strength and hide him away. The quicker it is he gets better, the less of an threat there is to his being."

Sakura nodded seriously. "And of these eyes?"

"I want you, Shizune, and Marika to handle the operation; it should not be too difficult." she stated seriously.

Sakura and Shizune exchanged glances, and nodded accordingly. "I will take these to the hospital and prep him for surgery, then." Sakura stated seriously, mostly addressing Shizune. Truth be told, she didn't want to just be holding on to Sharingan eyes; the quicker they transplanted them into Itachi, the better.

"I will relay Tsunade-sama's message to the Kages' and then inform Marika that her presence is needed in the hospital, then." Shizune nodded in affirmation.

Tsunade nodded, pleased with their plan, before she turned to Neji. "Good work you three. I expect what you have discovered to be kept secret with the utmost confidentiality."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama." Neji, Lee, and TenTen had bowed accordingly, and promptly dismissed themselves.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Hi everyone! The long awaited sequel is OUT!**

 **So, I could not hold back any more on posting the final sequel to the trilogy. I know I have not finished updating Sakura's New Past yet, but I've gotten it to a place where I am content with it and don't feel the overwhelming need to change everything. As such, I felt it was an appropriate time to finally post this.**

 **Similar to the beginning of Sakura's New Present, the first couple chapters will include flashbacks, but this time of everything that happened immediately after the war. This will pick up right where the last story left off. The next chapter will officially begin the progression of the plot, but this will include important information to know.**

 **There is a lot that is going on in these first couple chapters, the Aftermath of the war, but after everyone has been moved back into Konoha, we will finally begin to see the emergence of the new antagonist of the story and how the war has impacted some of our favorite characters.**

 **There is a lot in store for all you readers and I am so excited to finally be out with this ^_^**

 **I also want to explain my thought process as far as Nagato's walking goes (which kind of alludes to Itachi as well). Sakura's healing chakra, when activating Hanami, is amplified and potent -having the ability to rejuvenate chakra and heal wounds instantly, in the cellular level it means that it can cause a mass reproduction of cells to replace damaged ones. Furthermore, due to a common lineage from the Otsutsuki blood, Sakura's Hanami is especially strong to people with common ancestors; Uchiha, Haruno, Hyuga, Senju, Uzumaki, etc.**

 **Nagato is still severely weakened and practically crippled, but similar to what Lee had gone through with Tsunade, he is capable of once more walking, given proper time and therapy. I'm a sap for happy endings and no one is excluded from this, and I regret nothing!**

 **I would love for everyone to spill their thoughts on the beginning! I made it extra lengthy for you guys as well to apologize for the long hiatus. I do want to say I will not be updating until I get my next 2 chapters out for SNP, but I've gone back on my word before so I will not set anything in stone.**

 **Any and all feedback is much appreciated!**

 **-MarzSpy**


	2. Recovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form.**

 **Chapter 2: Recovery**

 _Kisame sat there on his knees, once more under restraints, finding interest in the pebbles under his feet as Mei stood before him. As Tsunade had promised, Mei, and the other Kages had arrived at the Konoha encampment later on that day; and with their arrival came his doom._

 _So he had been once more shackled, and led towards his Kage by one Chojuro and forced onto his knees by said pipsqueak, who obviously didn't care about showing his blatant dislike for the missing nin -not that it mattered much anyway. He would get his just desserts soon enough._

 _And there he had stayed, as Mei had been greeted by Tsunade and they had conversed lowly about the events of the war -Sakura alongside them all the while, showing her support as Tsunade spoke about who knows what._

 _Not that he cared -he knew is fate._

 _It felt like an eternity, as if his judges were determining what punishment would suit his many crimes (even though there was truly only one), before Mei finally turned away from Tsunade and Sakura and approached him. And as she stood before him their eyes clashed -his beady orbs and her warm but steely emerald eyes._

 _"On your feet, Hoshigaki."_

 _And so he did, and with a sigh he looked up to meet the deep emerald eyes of the Godaime Mizukage -his Kage, although he had never admitted it, eye level finally meeting hers. She approached him then, and with amusement he noticed that he towered over Mei; her as well, in any case, since he towered over everybody, but something about being at the merciful hands of someone so **short** seemed an odd thought._

 _"Part of me is surprised you lived past this war -and even further surprised you remained here after the fact." She began slowly, eyes glazing over his figure briefly. True to Sakura's words, Kisame had little to no injuries on his being; of course they had already been healed, but his clothes seemed relatively intact, all things considered._

 _He was incredibly strong and durable, an important distinction as Mei realized Kisame could have most definitely fled the battle and obtained freedom after the fact. Sakura could no longer walk, Kakashi had been all but out of chakra, and those still capable of walking had to help the others through their journey._

 _Kisame could have ran, and none could have stopped him, but he helped his teammates here without a word and accepted him fate -she oddly respected his conviction._

 _"I am true to my word if nothing else." Kisame stated in a grumpy manner, breaking Mei out of her thoughts -he care not for these formalities. If she was going to kill him, then have her do it already. "Now get on with it -I know what you have to do."_

 _"Oh?" Mei questioned with an amused expression on her features. "And what is that?"_

 _"Punish me for treason to the village; for my crimes against our village, and the whole world." Kisame was snarky with his response -was she reveling in his misery? Mocking him for having been degraded to a weak and puny shinobi at her feet? He would not grovel for mercy, he thought with an internal snort._

 _"Are you asking me to or forcing me to, Hoshigaki?" she hummed out, not that she truly meant for Kisame to answer this question as she took a step towards him -she didn't need him to egg her own to take action against him -she had been thinking about it heavily since she they allowed him to go fight Madara, because ever the optimist, she believed in his skill and that of Team Sakura. "I hereby punish you, Hoshigaki Kisame, for your crimes against our village, and for the crimes against humanity committed through the Shinobi Lands." she declared loudly, for all around them to hear, her eyes glancing first from her shinobi, to the Kages surrounding her. "Your punishment-" her hard gaze fell onto Kisame once more, "I sentence you to a lifetime of servitude -protecting and serving your village."_

 _Kisame blinked; twice; thrice. "What?"_

 _The silence had stretched as her statement sank into the crowd -Tsunade seemingly the only Kage surprised by Mei's verdict. But the silence had been broken by none other than her younger protective detail, almost as if unbelieving of his Kage's shenanigans._ _"M-Mei-sama... you can't be s-serious..."_

 _And as Kisame looked up at her once more, he found her eyes no longer hard or serious -but rather amused and mischievous. "You said you were willing to serve your punishment -well, here it is." And with a smirk on her features, she turned around and began walking away._

 _"Chojuro -get rid of those cuffs and begin to assign some duties for him to follow -he'll have to catch on quick if he plans on being useful to me."_

 _And although Chojuro wanted to argue against this profoundly, his Kage left no room to argue as she instead surrounded herself amongst the other Kage, none of them seemingly affected or surprised by her decision. "Tsunade, where's the stash of sake? I know you must have some around here~"_

 _"B-But..." the young Kiri-nin grimaced as he stared between Mei and Kisame several times._

 _And although it took Kisame several seconds to understand what had just happened, once he finally did he let out a wide grin. "Well you heard the lady, pipsqueak. Let me out of these cuffs." he bellowed with a wide grin._

 _He knew there was a reason he liked Mei._

* * *

Sakura had returned to Itachi's bedside thirty minutes later. "I bring good news -sort of." Sakura began, as she walked into the hospital room and immediately took a seat next to Itachi, and began to check his vitals with ease.

"That being?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"We have found replacement eyes for Itachi."

"So quickly?" Mikoto raised an eyebrow. Sure she was sure there were plenty of casualties in the war.

"With copious amounts of discretion, I will disclose to you that Neji's infiltration team came up with hundreds of Sharingan eyes inside of Madara's lair. They brought back a pair of which back to Konoha, and Tsunade-shishou has given her permission to return these to Itachi. In this way, although he won't have his original eyes, he'll at least still have the Sharingan. I expect that this will also prove better, compared to his deteriorating eyesight of before." Sakura smiled. "Of course, given that you want them, Itachi?"

"Is it truly alright to receive these eyes?" he instead asked, diverting his wants and needs, as it seemed he always did -alas, it was in his nature.

"Tsunade-shishou gave her blessing; so long as you want them, they are yours. Inversely, if you refuse, it may take longer to find other eyes. Given that they are Uchiha eyes, the likelihood that they'll take is far greater."

That being said, Itachi guessed they didn't really have a choice on the matter. "When will the operation take place?"

"Now, if you are feeling up to it. The quicker we get these eyes into somebody, the better. I'm sure you can understand why." Sakura stated calmly. "It seems that your vitals are doing alright; I have to draw blood samples first, but afterwards you should be okay to operate on." Truth be told, more than anything Sakura had to run samples of his blood and test for any illnesses or diseases -of which Sasuke knew and understood (But Mikoto did not, and as such he would remain silent until Sakura gave him the confirmation).

"Who will be performing the surgery?" Mikoto decided to speak up.

"It will be the joint efforts of Shizune, Marika-nee, and I." Sakura responded smoothly, understanding Mikoto's concern.

But at this, Sasuke couldn't help but scowl, his nose flaring in near defiance. "Sakura, you have yet to rest since we've returned to Konoha. You cannot possibly be physically able to operate."

"Don't you worry about me, Sasuke-kun." Sakura dismissed his concern with a small smile. "I've taken a soldier pill already; I will have time to rest once we've stabilized Itachi, Nagato, and Kakashi-sensei's conditions."

Although he didn't like it, he knew the medics that could operate on Itachi were limited, given that nobody yet knew that he was even here, let alone alive, and not to mention that he was no longer an enemy. "Hn." he grunted out. "But afterwards you will rest."

Sakura merely raised an eyebrow in response. _Are you barking orders at me, Uchiha?_ he could almost ready her thoughts -no, in fact, he was sure she was thinking just that.

"Sakura, you couldn't walk but three days ago." he stated with a look that said _yes, yes I am barking orders at you_. "Everyone saw how much chakra you wasted. I can see even now you're teetering on the verge of exhaustion. The soldier pill will only make these effects worse once it wears off." he glared -Sakura's weight shifted foots uncomfortably at the sight.

No, not just because it was her Sasuke-kun glaring at her, but because they were _his_ eyes.

She looked away dejectedly. "I have responsibilities, Sasuke-kun."

"And you have responsibilities to your clan, and to your friends, to recuperate." Sasuke was not having any of it.

"Sasuke is right." -A voice they had not realized had been listening to the entire time, and Sakura turned to eye her elder sister. "Marika-nee." she greeted warily, feeling like she was getting teamed up on.

"I will take on these responsibilities -if you'd like to oversee, by all means you are welcome to it. But you heard Tsunade-sama. Anything else you do may cause irreparable damage to your body." As she spoke, she drew closer to Sakura and took her hands into her own. "The war may be over, but our fight is not, Sakura-chan. We need you well, not just alive."

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. "I will help with Itachi's surgery, and I will check up on my patients." Sakura demanded. "Then I will go."

Sasuke and Marika seemed content with her answer -because only in one of these situations did she really need to use chakra -and between Shizune and Marika, they could carry on most of the menial work. "Hn" Sasuke relented.

"It's settled then." Sakura confirmed with a nod. "Marika-nee, please go make sure the OR is prepped and that the hallways are cleared for Itachi's transportation. I will be there shortly." Marika wordlessly complied, leaving Sakura once more alone with the family of Uchiha.

Now that he had dutifully protected Sakura from over-working herself (as Naruto had swore him to do, because as it was he was busy trying to calm the raving fans that bombarded him -a noble task which he had taken upon himself for the sake of leaving the limelight off of Sasuke and Sakura, he could move on to the next pertinent topic. "Perhaps afterwards we can talk to you about the massacre." Sasuke stated seriously, his eyes averting to Itachi, not that he could see as much, and at his words Sakura turned to him alertly.

"Sasuke-kun, that's not-!" she gasped out, hardly knowing what to say or do other than to punch her teammate. Why did he even think that was an appropriate thing to bring up?

"He asked about it." Sasuke cut her off, knowing what she would have said. "It seems he knew his mission long before he actually enacted it."

"Oh..." she spoke as her saddened eyes landed on the elder Uchiha male. Not that Sakura was entirely surprised by it, but part of her was hoping he didn't remember any of it, to perhaps save him some heartache for the time being. "In any case, it's probably best we move in now; Marika should be done clearing the hallways."

"Thank you for everything, Sakura." Mikoto stated once more -pensive but showing her gratitude. Truth be told she was conflicted, between protecting Sakura from herself and helping Itachi recuperate. But Sakura was a tough girl, and she already had friends making sure she didn't push herself past her limits.

"There is nothing for you to thank me for." Sakura dismissed. "I should be the one apologizing -it is because of me that Itachi is here now." Sakura bowed apologetically.

"You are right." Mikoto accepted with a pointed look -a statement that had shocked Sasuke _-how could she possibly say that to her?_ "It _is_ because of you that Itachi is here -alive, today." Suddenly the double meaning of her statement made sense. "We will be waiting here until the operation is complete. Go now, Sakura, before your soldier pill wears off." Mikoto smiled slightly.

With a nod her face, Sakura moved to Itachi's bedside. "Are you ready for the operation, Itachi?"

He was silent for several seconds -it wasn't until Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder that he felt the courage to grunt.

* * *

It had taken two hours to complete the surgery and make sure that the procedure had ran smoothly; but in between the two Harunos' with prominent Senju blood running through their veins, it was no wonder that Itachi had been fully healed and ready to get his eyes checked on within a matter of hours.

Shizune and Marika had excused themselves after the operation, and it had left Itachi in Sakura's care once more, although Mikoto and Sasuke had never left Itachi's bedside.

Sakura had undid the bandages on his eyes carefully, and Itachi had slowly opened them to reveal his new eyes; dark in color, nearly identical to his own, but Sakura knew better. With sadness, Sakura realized that these eyes would no longer show the same vulnerability she saw glimpses of in the past. But she tucked those thoughts away. "How are things, Itachi? Can you see okay?"

He took a while to answer, as Sakura swiveled in her chair and slid back a foot, so he could see his surroundings slightly; his eyes met that of his mother, then of Sasuke. "Ahh."

Sakura seemed to accept the one-syllabled answer and once more swiveled in front of him. "Follow the movement of my finger, onegai." she instructed, and Itachi wordlessly did as he was told, as she turned her small flashlight on and pointed them towards one of his retina, as her finger moved horizontally across his field of vision.

"It seems like his body is taking to them just fine." Sakura spoke formally. "Seeing it was Marika and I who performed the operation, I know he'll be in peak condition tomorrow. For now, we should leave these eyes to rest and not strain them. I will be back in tomorrow morning to run another check up."

"That's good to hear." Mikoto seemed relieved, even as Itachi's eyes were once more bandaged up and he was eased down into the bed.

At the very least, he seemed more relaxed; Sakura knew that being able to see Mikoto and Sasuke, even if just for the briefest of moments, would help to set him at ease in a way just hearing voices and feeling soft touches wouldn't. As such, Sakura put her flashlight away, and scribbled something upon his medical chart. "I'm going to go visit Kakashi-sensei now, lest he leave the hospital before he's supposed to.

"Remember, no healing." Sasuke instructed. "Or I will have Marika intern you as a patient yourself."

Sakura's nose flared in defiance at the threat, but she said no more on the matter. "If you'd excuse me, then."

* * *

He could have almost sworn his eyes were dysfunctional -perhaps the previous wielder of these eyes had been color blind. Of course, he couldn't have known better, seeing as the first thing he had laid his newly operated eyes on was the kunoichi he had never met -with pink hair and dazzling, vibrant jaded eyes. The combination was just obtuse. But then he saw his Okaa-san -his otouto. And suddenly the realization of his amnesia became a little more concrete. But the pink of his doctor's hair had definitely startled him for just the briefest of moments.

His mother was aged -worn from stress and from the years, but still, it was his mother. She was still as beautiful as the day he last remembered seeing her, apparently well over twelve years in the past.

Sasuke was another story.

In his own mind, he would have described Sasuke as cute. Adorable, in fact, with rounded cheeks and innocent eyes.

But this was not his adorable otouto. His otouto now, if he could even keep using the endearment, was chiseled; muscular from his line of work, with the aristocratic features of the Uchiha and a rigid face. His brother was probably taller than him now, too.

It would take adjusting, he realized, although this was not to mean he couldn't accomplish it. Sasuke would always be Sasuke -he just had to remember that Sasuke was no longer seven, and he was no longer thirteen.

The bandages had been put on shortly afterwards -probably for the better, for it would give him time to compartmentalize his thoughts and come to accept them -he needed to accept his demons and gather his thoughts before he could face them again.

So lost in his own thoughts, he had completely forgotten to thank the kunoichi. What was her name again? Haruno Sakura. And the other Haruno, who he distinctly remembered from his past.

 _Marika_

The name lingered on his mind, far longer than the image of Sasuke and Mikoto. She had been annihilated during the Haruno Clan Massacre, if he recalled correctly. Then again, obviously not, if she was standing there today.

The daunting task of catching up to this timeline would take time.

"If it is not too much to ask for, I would like to know the events following the massacre."

Sasuke and Mikoto exchanged glances. "If that is what you wish, fine. But we should wait; for Shisui and Saki to arrive. I have already sent word for them to come."

Itachi nodded. "Saki... should I be concerned?" Thinking of it now -did his sister know of him? Know of the atrocities he had committed? Know that he was even still alive?

"You exchanged interactions with Saki, before the war. She knows of your identity; know what you did." Mikoto stated. "Even so, she has taken it upon herself to judge you not by those actions, but by what she's seen. She's intuitive; she knows there's more than meets the eye. She is, however, under the impression that you are death." Mikoto explained -it wasn't that they didn't want to tell Saki -it was simply that they could have have Saki immediately rushing to the hospital with them. It would have seemed suspicious. As it was now, she was being baby sat by Naruto and Ino at the Haruno Compound.

"She doesn't even know about Shisui, for that matter... this is going to hit her hard." Sasuke frowned. He knew if it had been him in her shoes, he would be furious; furious that the family whom he supposedly trusted had kept so much from him. In that sense, Saki was a far better Uchiha -a far better person, than he ever would be. She would be calm and understanding, and although confused and hurt, she would be accepting of the news, and simply be glad that things were now settled and everything would now be revealed to her.

She had to know; because the threat of Danzo was not gone yet, and she would have to know for any future instances that may involve the man.

* * *

Nagato was next on her list of rounds. After receiving astonishing news that he could walk, after he had been left irreversibly crippled by his fight with Hanzo, Sakura had run extensive tests and scans on the man -and she had just gotten them back. As such, she trudged over to Nagato's room, on the same floor as Itachi and Kakashi, but in opposite hallways.

Konan was awaiting her arrival anxiously, one hand gripping on to Nagato's. As she entered, Konan stood in anxiety and impatience as Sakura greeted her and Nagato formally.

"You will have to forgive me, I have yet to have time to review the results, but it should not take too long." Sakura apologized, as she pulled out first the x-ray and clipped it on to the light, then turned the light of the room off.

Although Sakura had no previous medical records to compare the current ones to, she knew what state Nagato had been in, not only from observation, but from what Konan had told her. But at the sight of these, she could not help but be left wide-eyed, her lips parted in confusion and bewilderment. And almost as quickly, her hand dashed towards the folder with the remaining tests -among them blood-cell count, bone-marrow count, and sonograms of the spine.

"I can't believe it..." she could only conclude after several minutes of rapt amazement, and with this she finally turned to the expecting eyes of Konan and Nagato. "His scans had shown amazing regeneration to the cells in his bones, nervous tissue, and muscles." Konan waited in baited breath for the confirmation she needed. "Nagato is right -with therapy he can make a full recovery." Sakura stated with smile -hopeful for what was to come for Konan and Nagato.

Konan seemed elated. "This is because of you, Sakura-sama." she stated with pride. "It was your cherry blossoms -I'm sure of it."

Her Hanami? She hadn't given it much thought. She knew she instantly healed injuries and replenished chakra, but did that hold true for age-old injuries? For life-changing, bodily-impaired, wheelchair-bound injuries? "Whatever it was, it's given you a second chance, Nagato." Sakura spoke seriously, dismissing the possibility that it could have been her, although all indications seemed to point to it, unless Kikyou had also dabbled in fixing up Nagato when saving Itachi. "The journey to recovery will not be an easy one." Because simply by how long he had practically been bed-ridden, it would take surgery and over a year of physical therapy to build his muscle mass and strengthen his bones to what they should be for his gender and age.

"I'm willing to work -whatever it takes." he spoke adamantly. If nothing else, he wanted to become the man he once was -a man fit to stand alongside the likes of Konan and protect and watch over Amegakure -of course, given that he was allowed to return home.

"If that's the case, you will have to remain in Konoha for at least a couple months just for the surgery -although the permanent damage to your nerves has been healed, there is still much work that needs to be done to repair them fully." Sakura stated, hovering over his body. She had never seen anyone in such a deteriorated state before -absent-mindedly, she couldn't help but wonder how Konan had been able to watch him go through with this. Kami knew she would be entirely too distraught if Itachi was in this state.

"But Ame-" he cut himself off. How was he to run the nation he loved so dearly? What could he do?

"You cannot do both at once," Sakura stated calmly. "I understand your cause is important, but you need to hold your health as a priority; there will be no one to lead it if you cannot get better. Given that we don't even know the punishment that the Kage's will be giving you, returning to Ame should be the last thing on your mind. Gomen." Sakura stated bluntly, if only because he needed to hear it. Optimism would get him nowhere right now.

"But if I don't run Ame..." he couldn't even finish his sentence. Sure, they had gone about it wrong, but they had worked her to get Amegakure to where it was today. If left unattended, who knows to what state it could possibly deteriorate to.

"Then let me run it in your stead -until you are well enough to return. I will make the proper preparations for your arrival." Konan stated firmly. Because as it was, she was already in charge of his sentencing. And she would be damned if she did not make sure Nagato received the best possible outcome. And she was hopeful, too, because as it stood Tsunade was willing to give nothing more than a slap on the wrist. She simply hoped that the other Kage would be as forthcoming.

"These are matters best left between you two." Sakura decided with a small smile. "Konan, if I could have a word with you outside, onegai." she spoke warmly.

Konan nodded, and promising Nagato that she would be right outside, she stepped out with Sakura. "Is something wrong?" she expressed her concern -was there something perhaps that she did not want Nagato to know?

"Konan... I won't beat around the bush. The possibility of recovery is possible... And even if my Hanami, or whatever it may have been, healed the crippling injury, his spine is still in shambles. "We're looking at multiple surgeries -none too risky, especially with Tsunade and myself at the helm, but we are talking about a really long recovery... I just want to make you aware."

"That is not an issue; Nagato is capable and willing." Konan knew with certainty.

Sakura nodded. "As I suspected; another issue that comes to mind though, perhaps most pertinently." Sakura stated with a sigh. "Nagato will need a capable medic-nin by his side -long term. I know he has dreams of returning to Ame, but at this rate... he won't be able to leave Konoha. I doubt anyone in Ame has enough medical background to do the procedures and keep up with the healing sessions."

Konan understood the implication, but could blatantly see a solution, too. "You can teach me, can't you?" she dead-panned.

Sakura blinked; twice, thrice. "Learning will take time, Konan."

"I have time." Konan dismissed her concern. "I have to wait a few months just for his surgeries, correct?"

"Probably." Sakura agreed.

"Then I will learn. You can teach me, right?" Konan pleaded.

"O-Of course." Sakura stated with a nod. Absent-mindedly, she couldn't help but be amazed at how desperate Konan was acting -how willing she was to do anything to get Nagato back on her feet. Although she guess she couldn't blame her elder cousin -she had been willing to throw her life away if it meant saving Itachi. "Healing is in our blood; it should not be too difficult for you to pick up in advanced forms, once you get the basics down. But the level of precision and complexity which Nagato will require will take precise chakra control." Sakura explained. "I'm afraid I may be too busy for the time being, but this isn't something I alone can help you with. Marika and Himawari are also trained in medical nin-jutsu."

"Please, anything you can do." Konan bowed humbly.

"I'll see to it to arrange something." Sakura nodded in confirmation. "For now, go to Nagato. Enjoy this moment together." as she spoke, she put her hand on Konan's shoulder. "And don't leave things unsaid between you two, neh?" Kami knew the women in her family apparently had a knack for having affection towards emotionally constipated men and allowing themselves to sit on their feelings for an eternity.

Although a slight blush framed her features, Konan nodded seriously. "Hai."

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?"

"..."

"..."

"...Just umm... there was a bird that had fallen from its nest, so I was attempting to retrieve it and...-

"... close the window and get back in bed."

"Mo, Sakura, don't be like that, I was just trying to get some air." he tried to reason out.

"Well, you're about to get said air knocked out of you if you don't get back in bed. Kakashi-sensei your Sharingan over-use has never been this bad before, you can't afford to leave."

"Well, your chakra exhaustion has never been this bad either, but here we are."

The crinkle in his eye did not betray the back-handed statement, or the knowing backwards smile he was giving her.

"I'll show you chakra-exhaustion." she threatened with a raised fist, but not one to want to land himself an even longer time at the hospital, Kakashi raised his hands apologetically.

"Alright, alright, you win." he appeased with a sigh.

With a pleased smile, Sakura closed the door behind her and approached her sensei, taking the seat next to his as she checked his vitals. "So how are you feeling, Kakashi-sensei?"

"You know, the usual." Kakashi shrugged.

 _In pain,_ the words were left unsaid. As such, she lifted her hand to send some healing chakra to his eyes (even just a little bit would be a greaa relief to him, she knew), but he instead grabbed her wrist and stopped her from doing so. She merely stared at him with a questioning gaze.

"Sakura, you're teetering on the verge of unconsciousness." Kakashi stated bluntly.

"Am not." she smoothly denied -why was this the third time today she was getting reprimanded about the same thing?

"But you should be. You're not Naruto; you don't have an insurmountable amount of chakra to keep this act up."

Kakashi was right, although she didn't want to admit it -about the whole not being Naruto thing, in any case. "What are you waiting for? Get some rest." he ordered her.

"I just wanted to make sure everyone was alright first. There's too much to do-"

"Everything will sort itself out, Sakura." Kakashi rebuked, and moments later, tentatively added, "You're not the only one watching over Itachi." He knew the real reason why she hadn't allowed herself any rest, and the very reason was down the hall from him.

"I know." Sakura admitted calmly. "I just-"

"Go check on him if it makes you feel better. But he has Sasuke's company. He'll be fine for the time being." Kakashi assured -and she knew he was right, but still...

"Iie. I can't do that. I'm just a stranger to him as things are right now. I can't just make myself welcome. Not as things are..." she admitted hesitantly -sadly.

"All the more reason for you to go home, Sakura." he stressed. "I've already sent word to Naruto. He'll be coming by to drop Saki off and take you home, whether you want to or not."

Sakura sighed, knowing that Kakashi was simply doing this because he was the only one, other than Tsunade, who could force her to rest. "I will check your vitals while I'm here, at the very least. And Naruto will have to drag me out by force if that's what he's coming for." she spoke indignantly. Kakashi rolled his eyes -it was fine, she could have it her way. The silence stretched between them, though it was neither stiff nor awkward between them. Satisfied with his vitals, she stood to leave. "I'd say four more days of bed-rest and you should be able to leave." She smiled wickedly.

 _Four more days?_

 _Kakashi would rather just die._

Before he had time to complain though, they sensed a presence, nay, three chakra signatures, approaching their floor -a floor that had been left entirely empty, which meant that if they were coming here it was with purpose.

Tsunade's chakra approached -followed closely behind by that of Saki, who was being escorted by Naruto. Saki's path stopped in front of Itachi's doorway; although Tsunade's had paused momentarily, she and Naruto kept going towards their final destination.

"Yo, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan! You ready to go home?" Of course, he had come in with a mission, and he would see to it that it got done.

So that's why the brat was here, Tsunade chuckled. "Although I am in favor of having Sakura rest, I do have to have a word in private with them before you drag her out, Naruto."

"Secrets don't make friends, Tsunade-baa-san." Naruto scowled.

"Good thing I'm not your friend; I am your Hokage. And until you become Hokage, you can't choose which conversations are pertinent to you. Now wait outside like a good little shinobi." she taunted Naruto with a smirk.

Although he grumbled incoherently, he left, stating that he would be waiting in the hallway for them to finish, seeing as he couldn't even enter Itachi's room. It was a private occasion, and they were trying to break the ice between Saki and Itachi before Shisui could step in, apparently.

"How are you fairing, Kakashi?" Tsunade asked with a casual tone once Naruto had left -knowing the worst thing that currently plagued Kakashi was his lack of reading material.

"As best I can." his eyes crinkled with his half-assed smile once more. "Was there something you needed?"

"Not so much needed as it is I wanted to discuss with you guys." She stated casually, entering the room and no longer hovering by the door.

"Me as well?" Sakura questioned.

"Hai." Tsunade responded curtly, and she took up post against the wall closest to the window. She surveyed their surroundings casually enough -truth be told, she was double checking that there indeed wasn't anybody outside. "I have been sensing movement from the Root Operatives." She got straight to the point and the silence stretched on. "We won't be able to keep him hidden for much longer."

"Has Danzo been inquiring about Itachi?"

"Hai." Tsunade confirmed. "Not personally, of course; Kami knows he hardly leaves his lair nowadays. she scoffed. "He wants Itachi's body as confirmation. I've been avoiding any meetings with the elders -being busy has been a justifiable excuse for the time being, but I know it won't be for long. The longer I ignore his request, the more restless he will become, and Danzo _will_ find out we're harboring a fugitive."

"How come you're not involving Sasuke-kun and Mikoto in these talks?"

"Because they are Uchiha." Tsunade dead-panned. Sakura didn't quite understand.

"Through the perspective of a civilian, or any outside party for that matter, if the facts are laid bare, they would be this: Itachi, an Uchiha, was in an organization vying to destroy the village. Obito, an Uchiha, was the leader of this organization who resurrected a man who almost achieved world domination. Madara, an Uchiha, was this resurrected man who almost achieved world domination." Kakashi broke it down. "The Uchiha name is in shambles right now. We cannot allow them to have any influence in clearing their name."

"It will mean that we have to fight for the Uchiha; we have to reconcile the reputation that has been tainted."

And it made sense -entirely. The Uchiha had fought enough; they had been through too many hardships, faced too many challenges. They had backed this family into a wall one too many times. They needed to be shown support from an outside source.

Dare she say it, from a Haruno. And this is why Tsunade had come specifically to Sakura and Kakashi. Sakura had been the representative for the Uchiha ever since she had gone to the past -she had delegated this responsibility to Hiroto until time had caught up to her, but after the events of the war it was clear to everyone that Sakura was the rightful leader of the Clan -the child of prophecy. In addition, Kakashi had also been taking care of the Uchiha and Haruno bunch for well over a decade -and his words had standing. Kakashi was renown, well-liked, feared, and respected.

"What do we do if an when Danzo finds out that Itachi is alive? He in the single most important person that stands between him and his innocence. All evidence of his crimes die with Sarutobi and Itachi."

Sakura and Kakashi thought long and hard.

"We let him. We both know enough to clear Itachi's name. Accounts from Kakashi-sensei and Itachi, and even Shisui, once he's discovered to be alive." Sakura stated.

Tsunade sighed -if only it were the easy. "It's our word against his; it'd be remiss of us to take the influence he has over the Daimyo lightly. The only person who could possibly attest to what Danzo had done with much credibility is Sarutobi. Without him, Itachi's word and Kakashi's own have no standing, and not to mention yours. No one will believe you traveled to the past, despite the proof. Even if they were to believe it that's not something that we can use easily reveal." Tsunade stated seriously. "My proclamations fall as simple banter due to me having not even been in the village."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed in scorn. There had to be something they could do for Itachi. The war was over, Akatsuki disbanded; for Kami's sake she had worked too hard to give up now. "I have an idea." Sakura stated slowly.

"Which is?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Logically speaking, there's no way Danzo will allow Itachi to realign with Konoha and clear his name if it means throwing himself under the bus. So in order to clear both their names, we need to find a common enemy." at the thought, the idea came to both Kakashi and Tsunade simultaneously. "Using Madara's name as a scapegoat wouldn't be a bad idea. Technically speaking, it wouldn't be a complete lie either."

Tsunade thought sincerely about this. "This would perhaps be the best plan. But who is to say that Danzo will even allow such a thing? Surely the Uchiha Clan holds contempt over Danzo, Itachi above all else. In Danzo's eyes, Itachi might be seen as a threat, an uncontrolled variable he can no longer manipulate. Whose to say he'll take the bait?"

Sakura's eyes darkened. "After I'm done with him, he'll have no choice."

"Do you think it wise to reveal your identity to Danzo?" Tsunade stated with warning.

"Even if I don't, he'll find out eventually. Kami knows he hasn't been fond of the Haruno ever since I threatened him in the past." Sakura shrugged.

"Realistically speaking, Danzo can't touch Sakura." It was a fact, whether both his counterparts realized it yet or not -and it seemed that they didn't, and as such he sighed and prepared to speak once more. "Team 7 will no doubt be titled the new Sannin of their generation some time soon. She has succeeded you in strength and medical prowess but at the ripe age of eighteen. Whenever it is that Sakura wishes to do it, she will ascend to her rightful role as leader to the Haruno. She has political ties with important clans here in Konoha, and all over the world -down to Kiri and Suna. She has defeated several Akatsuki members, saved two Jinchuuriki, and defeated the tyrannical threat of Madara, and saved thousands while doing so." and if that didn't sum up his point, then his next statement sure did. "Sakura has become the single most important kunoichi of her time."

Never in her life had anyone -especially not Kakashi, spoken such praise of her. She wanted to deny all this -and in part it wasn't like she could take all the credit. She knew she would have never been able to defeat Madara and save thousands without the help of Sasuke and Naruto, who stood alongside her. Without the help of Tsunade, who had transplanted the Mangekyou into Sasuke. Without Itachi, who had saved her life and given her to opportunity to awaken the Rinnegan. She was nothing without all of the contributions from her friends and family, but she understood what Kakashi's point was. And even if she didn't, he would state it anyway.

"Not only would losing her be of great detriment to Konoha and the stability of the future, but it would also have huge repercussions -perhaps killing off the disgraced Uchiha had been alright, because they would eventually be forgotten. But the Saviour of Konoha -of the world, will not."

Tsunade stared on with trepidation -Kakashi was right. Sometimes she was so caught up in her own thoughts. Sakura was her apprentice; her young, cute little apprentice. But within the blink of an eye, seemingly, Sakura had matured into a threat of her own. She was truly unraveling to be a fearsome heir, and Kakashi was absolutely right; Sakura had succeeded her long ago. "I'll put my trust in you, Sakura. Granted, I don't have much of a choice."

And it had been settled; they would confront Danzo, not with skittish fright or hesitance. They would face him dead on and bare their fangs; this was no longer Danzo's village. "I will hold off on our meeting for as long as I can; any time we can take to heal Itachi, and you two, will be valuable in securing our position. But when it's time to speak, I expect both of you alongside me."

"Of course."

"Hai."

They both spoke in unison, and with a nod and a confident smile, Tsunade kicked herself off the wall. "I just wanted to share this information with you all, for the time being. If you'll excuse me, there are other matters I must see to; Sakura, I know I don't have to tell you this, but make sure you keep an eye on Itachi. You are to be the only nurse allowed in and out of that building with the exception of Shizune and Marika until everything with Danzo is settled". Not that this needed restatement, then again. "Naruto, you can drag her home now." she could hear Tsunade speak from outside the door.

"Alright, Dattebayo! Let's go Sakura-chan."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'll be out in a minute, Naruto." she spoke loudly enough for him to hear from the hallway, before she turned back to face Kakashi. "Will you be fine on your own, Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired.

"Hai, hai, don't worry about me. I've got everything I need right here." and as he said this, suddenly a book appeared in his hand, the same, perverted crinkle of his eye twinkling in anticipation.

"You're incorrigible." she rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless -he was simply trying to make her feel better, and she appreciated it. "Bye, Kakashi-sensei." And so she walked out -glancing briefly at the image of Sasuke and Mikoto sitting on two respective chairs, and Saki atop Itachi's bedside with a small hand atop of his.

That's right -they were simply waiting on Shisui now, and then his entire family would be there to talk about _that..._

 _The massacre._

She paused momentarily as her eyes landed on the figure of Itachi; rigid and tense but seemingly interacting with Saki the only way he could imagine how to. But she looked away shortly after; this was private moment for the family, and she had no business being there. As such, she walked back to where Naruto was already waiting for her. She smiled slightly. "Let's go home, Naruto."

He smiled reassuringly -reached out his hand to grab her own, and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Itachi is strong. And he has a family to back him up -you gave him that gift, Sakura-chan. I know he'll be okay."

Naruto's words warmed her heart. "Hai, arigatou."

And so they made their way to the elevator, waiting for it to reach their floor and open up.

Apparently someone was on their way up, too. As the door opened it revealed a man -highly conspicuous, boring, and extravagantly average. But Sakura knew it to be a henge, and knew exactly who the man was.

Shisui. "Hi Sakura." he greeted her with a small smile, knowing fully well that she knew who he was -Naruto had been at first confused, but his deductive reasoning helped him figure it out.

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. "Hi Shisui... going to see Itachi?" she asked, even though she knew.

"Hai. Sasuke informed me that he wanted to know about the massacre and the event following." he reiterated information she already knew.

"How do you think he'll take it?" Sakura frowned.

"As well as one would take it when told you annihilated your entire family." Shisui shrugged. "He'll be find, though. Itachi's strong."

"Hai, I know." Sakura smiled reluctantly.

"Was there something you needed? Did you perhaps want to be in the room when we told him?" Shisui suggested -it didn't seem far-fetched to him; in fact in didn't even seem inappropriate to him. Sakura had been there. She had witnessed everything, and she had been the very reason why he hadn't enacted his plans the way that they had been; why Mikoto and Saki were currently alive today.

"Iie." Sakura shook her head. "He does not remember me. I do not wish to make him uncomfortable over my presence. He will be much more alleviated knowing it is just family in there, supporting him." Sakura denied. She mewled over her next words. "There is, however, a favor I would like to ask of you, since you are catching him up on his past."

Shisui raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Don't tell him about me, alright?"

Shisui's eyes furrowed in confusion. "What? But Sakura-"

"There's no reason to bring that up when he can't remember, Shisui. Onegai, do me this favor, at least for the time being. Things will be better this way." Why had she felt the need to even ask? He was amnesic and blind as it was -adding in topics such as time-travelling, some-what, sort-of, practically lovers would not help. This didn't need to be about her and what she had accomplished in the past. This needed to be about him, and his actions.

Sakura supposed that Shisui could, at least in part, understand where she was coming from, because he eventually succumbed. "...Alright..." he would accept her request, albeit reluctantly -and most definitely not permanently. "I will speak to Sasuke about it."

"Arigatou, I appreciate it." she shot him a small smile. "In any case, I've kept Naruto waiting long enough. I'll see you later, Shisui." Finally, she allowed Shisui to walk past her, and she hopped in the elevator, where Naruto was already waiting, patiently holding the elevator door open for her.

Although his thoughts and opinion he would not share, because he knew Sakura could not handle any more turmoil, he could not help but think that Sakura had made the wrong choice.

* * *

 **End of Chapter**

 **So I know it's been like... an eternity. At least I didn't go past the year mark in updating -I'm prone to such hiatus's after all.**

 **I'm sorry that it's taken forever to get this out, and I wish I could say I'll be better about updating but I guess I can only say that I'll try for now.**

 **Tell me what you all thought; I'm eager to know how you guys like the development so far.**

 **Any and all feedback would be much appreciated**

 **the next things I will be focusing on will be:**

 **SNP revision Ch. 25**

 **Somewhere We Belong Ch. 25**


	3. Strangers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form.**

 **Chapter 3: Strangers**

 _In the hospital room with Uchiha_

"So what happens now?" Itachi asked seriously. The shock of the update on his life in the past decade had decidedly not been a shock, but rather had awakened the gnawing, gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite push down. But now that Shisui and Sasuke had, for the most part, given him a rundown of everything that had happened thus far, he understood that he was perhaps being kept here without the knowing of the village -scratch that, not perhaps, _most certainly_. That was why he had been smuggled into the village alongside Marika and Shisui, and why the fact that he was alive was being kept secret.

"Tsunade and Sakura are currently sorting out your integration into Konoha." A way to blackmail Danzo, although he would not specify this, "Mine as well, although that won't be as hard to coordinate, seeing as I'm not a wanted S-Class shinobi." Shisui explained, trying to make light of the situation.

"After that's all sorted out, we can start to integrate you back into the village and move you in with us." Mikoto explained, glancing at Shisui with a small frown.

"To the Uchiha Compound?" Itachi asked in trepidation -truth be told, he wasn't sure if he was ready. To face the demons of a past he could not remember, but knew of with certainty.

"Iie. We live in the Haruno Compound; it's helped, being around the Haruno. They've been supporting us ever since you left." Mikoto stated with a slight smile on her features -vague even though everyone knew what she meant. But she would not blame her son for the misguided actions of her clan that had forced his back against a wall.

"Ahh..." And then more silence. To be quite frank, none of them knew what to do at this point; leave him to his thoughts? Keep him company? Console him? Change the subject? This was all just too different. Too difficult.

* * *

Itachi had sensed her before she had entered his room; the chakra pattern that had been in and out of his hospital room since he had been admitted was becoming familiar to him now. She came in after she had knocked and had been given the okay to enter. "Good morning, Itachi. How are you feeling today?" Perhaps her question had more to do with the fact that he now knew about the massacre -he had sensed and heard the worry in her tone when Sasuke had brought it up.

"All things considered, fine." It wasn't entirely a lie -he would simply have to take this one step at a time. Perhaps it helped that he couldn't remember for the time being.

Sakura frowned slightly, not that he could see it. "Well, I'll be removing your bandages today. If everything has gone as I estimate, you should be good to walk by tomorrow. Marika-nee will probably be in later, in order to help with some of your healing sessions." She opted to explain to him, seeing as Tsunade had now officially mandated she do no more than examine people -forced upon her by basically everyone.

"Ah." he responded curtly, and then with a hesitant pause, "I forgot to thank you for operating on me yesterday. My apologies."

Sakura was nearly taken aback -didn't know how to respond. "Ah... it's fine. Thank you, in any case." she said rigidly. She went up to his bed, elevated it and forced him to sit up. "Aside from your eyes, how is your body feeling?" She tried to change the subject.

"Weak." he admitted. "Although I take it this could be residual from the war, or perhaps having been dead." he spoke so formally -trying to bring this up casually to perhaps feel some sort of normalcy.

"Perhaps both; I can't exactly say I've known anybody die and live to tell the tale." she tried to bring in some casual humor to lighten to mood -it worked, as evident to the way Itachi's shoulders eased up. "I suspect you'll need some physical therapy, unfortunately." In the short five hours that he had been dead, although she would not disclose this information, his muscle mass had deteriorated; truth be told his muscle mass hadn't even been that abundant to begin with. A fact that now made sense, given this supposed serious illness he had been harboring the entire time. Her fists clenched at the thought, but she swallowed it down. "In any case, let's start with these eyes." And as she spoke, her hand reached out to untie the bandages from behind his head. She unwrapped it gingerly, and held onto the bandages in one hand while the other hand hovered above his eyes with glowing chakra.

 _Everything seems fully repaired, now._

"Alright Itachi, you may open them."

And so he did, and his vision was once more bombarded with light -truth be told, he had become accustomed to the darkness, and even the small moments he had been able to see the day prior had been relieving.

Her stark pink hair and bright emerald eyes nearly caught him off guard again; they seemed brighter than before. "How is everything looking?"

"Is your hair supposed to be pink?" he redirected the question.

Sakura let out a small chuckle. "Hai."

"Then fine." he stated. "I am glad to finally be able to put a face to your voice." he admitted. He did not like feeling like he was being taken care of by a stranger. At least in this way he could begin to normalize their interactions.

"Good." Sakura smiled, clearly pleased. "I'm just going to check the reaction time of your eyes, alright?" As she spoke, she brought out a small flashlight from her coat.

"Hn."

And so she ran her tests, quietly focusing on the contraction of his retina as the light flashed over them whilst he sat there in silence.

"Sasuke and Okaa-san have informed me of my defection of Konoha. How was I able to be admitted into the hospital without anyone finding out?"

"I run this hospital, of course under Tsunade's guidance. Whatever I say goes here, so it wasn't too difficult." Sakura stated calmly. "Plus the fact that Tsunade is also on our side is a great help."

"And what am I to do once I am well enough?"

"If we have not completed our plans to clear your name when that time comes, you will be smuggled into my house." Sakura stated calmly. "That is, Mikoto, Sasuke-kun, and Saki also live there, in case they have no mentioned that to you yet." she blushed quickly, realizing what she had just said might have sounded odd if he didn't know the context.

"They informed me of this last night." Itachi merely nodded with a serious face. "Sakura-san. I know of my crimes in this village. Were anyone to find out you were harboring me, you'd be as much a traitor as I." he warned.

"That's not anything we're not willing to risk." Sakura dismissed his concern.

"Speaking as a wanted criminal, you should reconsider that. I don't know what stakes you hold on this, but I do not understand why you are protecting me." His family? Sure -he could understand that. But why was this Haruno so keen on healing him? Helping him? In fact, it seemed the Haruno were doing much not just for him, but his family as well.

"Iie. I-... Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, Mikoto... we have all worked so hard to get you back Itachi. If we gave up now all of our efforts would have been fruitless." They had been through too much to give up at the slightest sign of adversity from within. "And I understand that you're concerned, but trust me. This isn't as much of a risk as you'd think it to be."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, Whether her first statement confused him or not, he didn't press the topic. "How so?" he instead asked.

"Tsunade-shishou, Kakashi-sensei and I have discussed this extensively and have come up with a plan. We will incriminate Madara as the enactor of the massacre and state that you willingly took the blame and joined Akatsuki to gather intel. Because only Madara knew the truth, it did not look suspicious for you to join their ranks, seen as the real perpetrator. By blaming the massacre on Madara, which is not entirely a lie either, we clear your innocence and for now leave Danzo innocent. It's a win-win situation, one which will reinstate you as a Konoha Shinobi without judgement and for the time being appease Danzo." Sakura explained -of course, this had yet to be put into motion, but she knew that the reality would vary minimally.

"If you think that true you must be foolish." he was by no means condescending, but more so realistic. Without judgement? Please -it didn't matter what truly happened; even if his name was cleared he would forever be known as the monster of the Uchiha.

"I by no means do, Itachi-san. As you said, it would be foolish of me to believe that. But given the time and opportunity, I do believe that this will give the villagers the chance to see who you truly are. A person that has given the better part of his life to protect a nation he loves so dearly. Someone compassionate and loyal -they have yet to see this side of you, Itachi-san. And once they do, they'll come to respect you as much as I have, and everyone else who knows what you've done has." Sakura spoke whole-heartedly and completely honest.

For the longest time, Itachi was at a loss for words.

"Anyway," Sakura changed the subject quickly, standing up from her chair. "I'm not trying to convince you of anything; but do not feel like you are burdening me or my clansmen with your stay in our home." Sakura dismissed his original proclamation. "In any case, your vitals are good, and it seems you're adjusting to your new eyes nicely. I'd say you'd be good to be relieved in a couple days, after you've regained some strength."

"Ahh..." Itachi nodded. "Arigatou." because of course, he knew these eyes to be her doing. "And of my amnesia?" Perhaps a more pertinent, and not to mention troubling, diagnosis. Even so, he took it in stride. Worst case scenario, he still had his family for support, and that was all he needed. He had Sasuke and Shisui and his dear Okaa-san, and not to mention the pleasant surprise of re-discovering that he had a sister.

"Ahh yes..." Sakura hoped to not have to be the one to break the news to him -at least not by herself, although she didn't know if this was for her sake or his own. "Would you like me to call in Mikoto or Sasuke-kun or Shisui here first?"

"Iie. I do not want to burden them with bad news -there is much I'm sure they are dealing with presently." Itachi refused.

"Who said it was bad news?" Sakura raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Isn't it?" he dead-panned, his eyes staring right at Sakura. "Am I wrong to assume so, given that you felt like you needed to bring them here?"

Sakura smiled hesitantly. "I guess nothing gets past you." Already standing, Sakura made her way to a file containing the head scans they had taken of Itachi, and then brought them to a lit up screen. She then went to turn off the lights of the room, leaving the x-ray lightly lit. "The CT scans failed to pick up any trauma or hemorrhaging in your brain." Sakura explained.

"So is it safe to assume my amnesia is an effect of having been dead?"

"...Hai." Sakura admitted hesitantly. "It's the likeliest reason, as of now."

"And as far as recuperating my memories?"

"Well, we're limited in options, truthfully." Sakura stated, once more turning on the lights and returning to Itachi's bedside. "We can wait, and hope that with time your memories will come back naturally. There is a possibility that being in Konoha and subsequently familiar territory will trigger these memories naturally. Or we can enlist the aid of the Yamanaka Clan to forcefully unlock them for you... given that this is what you actually want." she explained hesitantly.

"And why would I want anything less?" Itachi asked genuinely.

Sakura hesitated, her hand tightly gripped into a fist that Itachi could not see from his location. "It's just... something to consider, I guess... In case there were things about your life you don't care to remember..." Sakura trailed off hesitantly.

"The massacre?" Itachi deduced calmly.

"Well, yes... among other things, I guess." Sakura reasoned out unsurely. "I won't pretend to know the extent of your memories, Itachi. But given your past affiliation with Akatsuki, I doubt that the massacre is the only trying thing you've had to put up with in life."

There was a long pause before Itachi responded. "I see where you are coming from, Sakura-san." he acknowledged. "Perhaps this is something I should give more thought to."

Sakura nodded. "Of course, there is no rush; if you do not feel compelled to gain your memories, or if you're not ready to, we are nobody to force you. I am simply giving you your options, as your medic. It's not often somebody gets to start anew, after all." Sakura plastered a fake smile on her face. "Anyway, I have to go check in on Kakashi-sensei and Shisui now, so if you will excuse me... I will be back in an hour to bring you your lunch."

"Hai. Arigatou," he thanked the kunoichi once more, watching as she bowed towards him and walked away.

He did not, however, pay attention to the fact that her presence lingered behind the door for several seconds after she had closed it behind her.

* * *

"I mean, I get it." It was all Marika could say, simply shrugging solemnly after Shisui's small outburst, if it could even be called that.

The moment that Marika and Shisui had found themselves both available to spend some time together, he had sought her out, particularly the day after having talked with Itachi -she had been inside the Haruno Compound, so it was not too difficult to find her. Sakura's words had bothered him -immensely, although he would not admit it. Perhaps it was because of how close he was to Itachi, perhaps it was because he knew he loved Marika just as much as Itachi loved Sakura -and to think that he would not be notified of his past with Marika? It bothered him to no end, and so he saw it perfectly fitting to go to Marika and seek out comfort. She, who had been his only confidante for the past decade, his best friend, and now recently turned lover. Not to mention she was also in a very important position as Sakura's elder sister, perhaps the only one aside from Tsunade and perhaps Mikoto who could have some concrete sway in Sakura's opinions.

Shisui, as animated as he was, was not one to genuinely have an outburst. Sure, he would feign the petulance of a child, but when it came down to it he was calm and showed off his frustration in different ways. But his demeanor was serious -troubled, which spoke volumes because Shisui was hardly seen with anything but a grin on his features for as long as Marika could remember him. Perhaps the fact that she had not responded in the manner he had expected had only helped to develop the furl in his brow and the scowl in his lips. "She doesn't think herself special enough to send his world careening down around him for the sake of simply remembering her. How many bad memories will come with the few good ones of Sakura? Hundreds? Thousands?" she questioned with a demeanor that matched his.

"Well why not at least tell him?" Shisui reasoned out. "Maybe he need not regain these memories; but I would surely like to know that I love you if nothing else, Marika."

"Loved."

Shisui raised an eyebrow, not understanding.

"You would like to know that you _loved_ me, Shisui. If you have no memories of me you can no longer claim to love me." Marika reasoned out logically.

Shisui's nostrils flared in agitation -perhaps refusal? "I would still like to know."

"Of course you'd like to know -I get that. But what good would it do?" Marika couldn't help but shrug nonetheless. She understood Shisui's frustration with Sakura's decision -she surely did. But she also completely understood Sakura's sentiments; she had had a conversation with Sakura just prior to the War that had alluded to her feelings of sadness and frustrations with the Uchiha, and she felt them too, for the elder cousin of said Uchiha. "What good would it be knowing you loved me if you don't hold any attachment to me as things stand? Knowing you once loved me means nothing if you have no memories of substance to help you feel those things again."

Did she think Sakura was right for requesting to not be mentioned? No. But did she get it? Absolutely. She would never want Shisui to look at her as if she were a complete stranger; more importantly, she would never want him to look at her as a complete stranger _whilst_ knowing she loves him. There would be some sort of shameful, apologetic regret of knowing you lost something, but not particularly knowing what. And if you didn't know what you lost, could you really care about it?

"Just because I don't remember doesn't mean I wont feel those feelings again." Shisui retorted, gripping onto Marika's hand tightly. If he had fallen for Marika once before, he could do it again and again, a million times over -as many times, and for as long as it took.

"Shisui, you're forgetting a lot of their feelings are built on the fact that Sakura _traveled to the past._ Their feelings stem from his upbringing with her. Without that, she's just... Sasuke's teammate." she frowned. "I cannot out of good conscious believe that Itachi will fall for her again as things are now. He's a shamed convict of the Uchiha, and she will be nothing more than his otouto's teammate. She will be looked at in that light, don't you think?"

Shisui felt conflicted. He didn't like Marika's reasoning -probably because it made a lot of sense.

"If you had lost your memories of me, and you knew me as nothing more than the kunoichi that Itachi was nearly suited to, would you consider even looking at me?"

"..."

 _Boundaries_

That was all it was. Without their past together, and only looking at each other through the present lens, there were simply too many boundaries and barriers to allow things to move forward between them, and he was beginning to understand this. "Chemistry isn't the only thing that will create a relationship. It needs to be the right time, and perhaps that has passed for them. That's why Sakura doesn't want her name brought up. Because their time might have already come and gone, and holding on to the hope that Itachi will come around will be undeniably more painful than anything Sakura has already suffered through for him." She concluded, grabbing Shisui's hand and drawing him closer to her. "I don't like it either -but we must respect her decision. This is their relationship, not ours. I know he is your cousin and you care for him deeply, but she is my sister too. Regardless of how much I want this to fix itself, it is out of our hands."

Granted, the only thing that gave her hope was the fact that Matsuro-sama had said it would.

Perhaps without that, she'd be filling as frustrated and upset as Shisui.

"I will abide by Sakura's request." he finally said. "I won't be happy with it, but I'll do it."

* * *

Sakura had returned as promised with his lunch -although she had brought her own as well. "I figured you might want some company as you ate." she reasoned. "Sasuke-kun and Mikoto will not be able to come back until later, as they are organizing the house to fit another body. Shisui is also currently away with my older sister, but he should be coming by to visit you real soon."

"Hai, I appreciate it." And so in a relatively calm silence, they ate their lunches, up until they were nearly done eating respectively. "I did have something on my mind, if you do not mind answering."

"Oh?" Sakura questioned with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It seems to me that you went to great lengths to save me, Sakura-san."

It hurt to hear that endearment after so long, she decided bitterly, but she shook these thoughts away with a feigned smile. "Hai. I know you would have done the same, Itachi."

Itachi seems disturbed. Would he have, now? "When I had awoken after my... death... You lacked an endearment then as well. I take it we were close?"

She turned, pretending to be throwing away the wrappers to her lunch, trying to blink the tears away. "We were good teammates. I'm sorry if the formality seems obtrusive to you, Itachi-san. I'll stop."

He could hear it in her voice, identify with the fact that she was upset, but could not reason out why. "Iie. It is not your fault, Sakura-san. Do not apologize. I should apologize for not being able to remember."

Sakura smiled ironically. "If I have no reason to apologize, then neither do you, Itachi-san." She could recall a time long, long ago, a nearly identical interaction between the two of them. "Anyway, you must be thirsty, Itachi-san. I shall go get you something to drink." She tried to rush out quickly, walking out without actually seeing where she was going. She nearly smacked right into Shisui, able to side-step right by him with a distant "Sorry" muttered from her mouth, although she didn't dare look him in the eye.

His eyes were wide, able to see Sakura's tear-stained eyes, even for just the slightest of seconds before she turned and rushed off. His eyes followed her figure, until he finally heard Itachi's greeting, and with that he snapped his head the other way, and pulled himself forward, one hand on the IV stand he was connected to. "Itachi." he greeted, noticing that his cousin was staring straight at him with unrecognizable eyes. "I see your surgery was successful."

"Hai." he acknowledged with a nod.

"How are you fairing, Itachi?" he greeted, approaching his cousin and seating himself down on his bed.

"All things considered, I'd say well." Itachi gave a stern nod. "It is good to finally see you."

"Hai. I'm sure this is a big step to gaining some normalcy in your life right now." Shisui stated hesitantly. "Gomen -I'm sure this must be hard for you."

"It is not too bad. Everyone is working hard to accommodate my situation -I am only grateful." Itachi spoke honestly.

"Are you remembering anything at all?" Shisui shifted gears.

"Iee..." he seemed hesitant to say the next few words. "But I have the strongest desire to follow after Sakura-san. Why?" he stared at his cousin expectantly.

Shisui tensed, careful to not flinch at Itachi's words. "Sakura-san?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "The Haruno you just brushed by." he affirmed. Was his cousin not familiar with who she was yet?

 _'So that's why she seemed upset...'_ but at the thought Shisui merely shrugged. "You guys... share a bond particularly close." At this statement, Itachi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. A bond particularly close... with his younger brother's teammate? Even so, Shisui did not leave him any time to inquire any further. "But I haven't been in the picture for years, Itachi. I wouldn't be the right person to ask." He tried to dismiss the subject, if only because he knew if they carried on with this that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from telling Itachi everything that Sakura had refused to let him know about them.

Things would be better this way. Why did Sakura think so? She was only hurting herself and in the long run Itachi. "Would you prefer to remain this way, Itachi?" he asked seriously. "Unable to remember anything... the massacre... the Akatsuki... my murder..." he sounded conflicted, and Itachi could see it in his eyes and feel it in his own heart. But after having given it some thought, and not to mention having talked it over with Marika, he realized that this is what Sakura meant.

"I've been wondering the same thing..." Itachi stated honestly. "Had my life really been worth remembering up until now?" Itachi asked earnestly. It wasn't that he would genuinely be devastated remembering the blood that lay in his hands (if he had coped with it once before, he could do it again, after all), but what was the point in going out of his way to do it?

"That's up to you to decide, Itachi." Shisui sighed. "What do you believe is important to remember?"

Itachi pondered this. "I annihilated our clan, Shisui." He stated seriously, quite bluntly too. "I had no contact with my family. Sasuke believed me a monster, and my identity was kept secret from my own sister, for her own sake. My own village loathed and betrayed me. I presumed you dead; and what of the crimes I committed in Akatsuki? What positive aspect in life have I to gain from any of this?" His thoughts had unraveled into a dizzying mess; rightfully so, because due to his peculiar situation, he had been gifted with an even more peculiar chance: to forget the atrocities that was his past and live as a new man, or try and regain that which he had lost? The few good moments encompassed and devoured by the bad?

"I understand Itachi; trust me, I do." Shisui relented. "But take into consideration what you won't remember. Your friendships with Sakura, and Kisame, and Konan. The memories of Saki and Sasuke growing up. The events of the past six months; Kami knows so much has happened. Knowledge of the past; despite how awful it is I know you are not blind to the fact that there are secrets locked away inside your brain right now."

Itachi remained silent. "Were my relations with them that impacting?" And why was Sakura even mentioned, he couldn't help but wonder absent-mindedly.

"They have all risked their lives on numerous occasions to save your life -and you them. You tell me." Shisui sighed.

"..." Itachi contemplated this, and Shisui took this time to stand and stretch slowly. "Anyway, I'm not telling you what to do. I just think you should consider everything before making your choice. Memories are just about the single most valuable thing a person can carry with them, after all. You want to find out why you feel like chasing after Sakura? There's only one way to find that out Itachi." Truly, he could have been a little more unbiased about the entire situation; even though Sakura had told Shisui to allow Itachi the chance of making up his own mind, in his heart he knew that the Itachi of two days ago would not want to give up on his memories of Sakura, even if it meant remembering all the bad that followed along with it. And he knew this with much certainty.

"...Ahh..." But truth be told, this wasn't a decision he could make immediately. It would take careful deliberation, and perhaps council from his family would not be bad. This affected them as much as it did him, after all.

* * *

Danzo had his suspicions that Itachi was being held somewhere within the village, and as such had his entire Root organization on edge, scouring the town for any signs of where he might be. Tracking the Uchiha would have been ideal; but they were all far too competent to be followed and not feel it. Sasuke, along with the remaining members of the former Team 7 and the Haruno Clan were being hailed as heroes; and for him to be following them would put a shadow over him. After all, what business would he have stalking the new Sannin of their generation?

He had spoken with Tsunade -demanded to have the body of Itachi extracted, for the sake of recovering and burning his eyes, lest they get on the hands of foreign nations. But whatever foreign nation would be able to make use of his eyes were now allies to their nation; and the whereabouts of his body she did not know, for she was not there where he was slaughtered. His eyes had been taken by Sasuke, so there was no such thing to fear there, and anyone who might possibly want a sample of his DNA was all but gone -save for Orochimaru, but who knew what had become of him.

For every question and accusation, Tsunade had had an answer. As if she had thoroughly planned for it. But when confronted with a meeting Tsunade had continued to dismiss him, stating that she was far too busy to converse with him over the state of the Uchiha -why of all things was that his biggest concern? With a scoff Tsunade had turned him away, and with a glare and a grimace Danzo had stalked away and continued his spying from a distance -which had done little for him, truth be told.

But to suddenly be called into an urgent meeting by Tsunade was peculiar, and as such he tucked away his thoughts about Itachi to stand before Tsunade, someone as equally frustrating to deal with. If only she had died in the war, the title of Hokage would already be his.

It was odd, in all actuality, to see that Tsunade had called a meeting with just him instead of all the Elders, and even more peculiar to see the audience before him; not just Tsunade, but one Haruno and Hatake Kakashi as well. "Why have I been called here?" he questioned -had it not been for their present company, he knew exactly what this meeting would be about.

"I think you know why." Tsunade stated, disdain evident in her tone.

"Whatever do you mean, Godaime Hokage?" His eyes narrowed -was she truly trying to have this conversation in front of her apprentice and her sensei?

"Cut the crap, Danzo." Sakura sneered, hardly able to control her anger, even as his eyes darted to her. Despite how out of line her statement was, neither Kakashi nor Tsunade stepped in to stop her -she had every right to feel as she felt, and not to mention speak as she did. This meeting was primarily between them, in any case.

"Bite your tongue, kunoichi. You will not speak to me in that manner." his eyes narrowed. Who did she think she was addressing him so crudely, when he had never had so much as a problem with the kunoichi?

"This is not my first time, nor will it be my last." Sakura's eyes narrowed.

Sakura's statement seemed to strike a tender cord within Danzo, as he contemplated Sakura's response. As far as he knew, not once had he ever interacted with this kunoichi other than right before the war (and she had been nothing but respectful then, so what had changed now?), although he had come across someone so identical to her it was uncanny. Yet, before he could even ask Sakura to elaborate, Tsunade cut in.

"I have detected and seen first hand all the movement in Root. You're searching for Itachi, yes?" Tsunade clipped in.

"Uchiha Itachi? He died in battle, had he not?" Danzo acted none the wiser.

"Danzo, my patience is wearing thin." Tsunade warned.

Danzo waited patiently to asses Tsunade. "So what if I had my suspicions that this was a cover up?" he seemed to brush this matter aside. "By the looks of it, I was right to think so."

"A cover up?" Tsunade reiterated, her expression not betraying the ironic amusement. "Oh, like the Uchiha Massacre, you mean."

The temperature in the room seemed to spike, Danzo's figure visibly tensing. "I can assure you I don-"

"I'm done with your manipulation, Danzo." Tsunade cut him off. "I know about the Massacre. I know about the coupe d'etat and I know how you assigned Itachi to spy on his own kinsmen. I know how you went behind Sarutobi's back and gave Itachi an ultimatum on destroying his clan. And I know you were behind everything. If you thought the truth died with Sarutobi and Itachi, you are wrong."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. How she got this information, he couldn't tell. Itachi was sworn to secrecy, and Danzo knew he would never tell a word. "You have no proof, Tsunade."

"I'm not here to accuse you and turn you in." Tsunade stated. "As much as you deserve it, I know a battle I can't win when I see one. As much as you deserve to die for everything you've caused, I can't touch you." she admitted regretfully.

"Then why are you here?" Danzo shifted in his seat.

"I am beside myself knowing everything that Itachi has done to protect our way of life; I believe that with your cooperation, we can clear his name and not reveal the truth behind the massacre."

Danzo's eyes narrowed. "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Madara orchestrated a war for a century before putting it into play. Organizing a massacre to the clan that abandoned him hardly seems out of his reach." Tsunade stated thusly.

"The village would never buy it. We have witness accounts. The Haruno under their care at the time-"

"Witnessed an Uchiha. It's hard to differentiate in the night." Tsunade cut him off. "Itachi witnessed the slaughter and attempted to stop him, and failed. He notified you of who he believed to have seen slaughter his family. Knowing widespread panic and hysteria would befall our nation at the mention of Madara, we burdened Itachi to take the fall for the murder of his family and planted him in Akatsuki in order to keep tabs on their agenda from the inside. The kunoichi left the village shortly after to protect the truth."

"And why should I even indulge your demand, Tsunade? As you stated, you can't touch me." Danzo's eyes narrowed. Sure, it was a convincing back story, he would give her that, but he had no need to want to cooperate with her, so why should he?

He seemed arrogant -immortal, even, and it infuriated Sakura to no end. "Last time, you were threatened to keep Mikoto safe or risk the truth of the massacre being spilled." The way she spoke made Danzo feel uneasy, although he didn't show it.

 _'Why does this kunoichi know this?'_

"This time, I will threaten you with your life, Danzo. I had no influence over Konoha back then. Now, I am taking my rightful position as heir to my Clan. Who do you think the Daimyo will prioritize? An old geezer of Konoha's muddy past or the future of one of the Four Great Dojutsu wielding clans?"

"Impossible." Danzo's eyes narrowed. He always thought it suspicious that the Haruno he had faced against in the past was identical to this one, and moreover that she had disappeared altogether, but there had been no way they could possibly be the same person -for Kami's sake they lived under the same roof for months before she had disappeared altogether! "What jutsu could possibly-"

"Don't even think it, Danzo. The power I hold is exclusive to the heir of the clan; nothing you can ever get your hands on." she spat venom, already seeing the gears in Danzo's head turning. "Know if you slip up, I will not hesitate to kill you; I don't care how many people I need to go through. Itachi will be accepted back into Konoha, and he will be revered as a hero. If you step even one inch out of line I will see to it myself that I personally speak to the Daimyo. I can't help but wonder how interested he would be in knowing how you attempted to assassinate the Third, among many other misdoings of yours."

Tsunade stood alongside Sakura, a sign of supporting her, with Kakashi looming in the background, looking as casual as ever but Danzo knew otherwise; the Hatake was always ready to pounce at any given moment, and he knew he'd do it in a heartbeat for his student. He was a rabid bull dog if nothing else, meant to intimidate Danzo, he knew.

"You have been warned, Danzo. Meddle with our affairs and you will see hell." Tsunade gave him one last warning. "You are either with us, or against us. This information will be revealed to the public in a week's time, when Itachi has recuperated fully. Know that I expect you there alongside me to corroborate our claim." And so she turned to walk away, Sakura already half way out the door.

Danzo remained un-moving, long after all three shinobi had left the isolated meeting room.

His hands, for the first time in ages, trembled in fear.

 _How dare that kunoichi threaten him._

* * *

Ayame sighed -for the nth time that day.

Backlash had been immense -but she had had no choice on the matter, truth be told.

Even if she wanted to stay, she had no choice on the matter -a thought she kept playing over and over in her head, to justify her brash actions. But truth be told, part of her was anxious -curious to know of the origins of her clan, as it had been taught to her by her Okaa-sama before her untimely passing, but scared that uprooting the entirety of her clan and relocating them into Konoha would leave her clan unhappy. They had established a happy home in Kiri, after all. And regardless of the friendships and reputation that her clan had set up, none had even spoken in muted defiance, none had even _questioned_ or showed a hint of displeasure when Ayame, not even the eldest among Kikyou's kids, declared herself the new heir to the throne, and decided that they would all be moving.

-But of course, why would any of them feel anything but respect, when a child as young as she took such brazen charge, showed such resilience and strength and - _Kami she was definitely Kikyou's daughter._

And now she was here _-they were here._

Every single one of them, plucked right out of Kiri and once more within Konoha walls -mass relocation which could have almost been seen as common, due to how frequently they had done it (all things considered, she was sure they were the only clan that had switched affiliations -twice). Be that as it may, it had still been the talk of the town -and the reason for quite a bit of resentment, from Kiri's side, anyway.

She was new to the village -and yet most of everyone seemed to know of her already.

 _That's the Haruno Clan Head_

 _She looks awful young to be leading a clan, neh?_

 _She's not even the eldest among her siblings -why was she picked?_

 _Such a waste -she doesn't even have a man by her side._

Ayame could have sneered. And why exactly did she need a man to lead her clan successfully? Pfft -old women and their gossiping ways. _'Can't be bothered by it, Ayame -can't be bothered.'_ she told herself in irritation.

"Watch out!"

Ayame was brought away from her thoughts by a sudden alarming yelp -identifying the sound as coming from above, she looked up just in time to see the figure of a man, quite literally falling from the sky and coming right towards her.

She blinked, and within the next instant strong vines emerged by her feet, reaching out towards the man and wrapping themselves around his torso, successfully stopping him from pummeling right into her.

There was a sigh of relief from the man -a lean fellow with black hair and beautiful blue eyes that reminded her of the blue oceans of Kiri. "Arigatou -you saved me."

Ayame did not respond, instead blinking a few more times at the man. Then, as if he were quite unimportant, she thought, _'Release him.'_

 _'Certainly, Mistress.'_ with a deep rumble that could only be accredited to an older and seasoned male contract, the iris vines released the man and allowed him to take the remaining descent to the floor with a yelp and an unceremonious thud on his head.

-He whimpered

-She rolled her eyes

Several seconds ticked by, and still he did not move -only whimper as he rubbed his head sorely.

"You're in my way."

The man blinked, staring up at the woman who had first saved him from what could have been a broken scalp and then promptly released him to bruise said cranium. "You could say excuse me, you know." he growled, meeting the eyes of the woman.

"You could also take the precautions to not fall on unsuspecting people but here we are." Ayame responded snidely -where did this man get off being rude _and_ inconvenient? He could be one but not the other.

The man blushed. "Hey I didn't do that on purpose, alright?" he glared. "Leave it to Lady Kushina to pummel a mere messenger halfway across the city." he grumbled in protest.

 _'Kushina?'_ that there was a name she recognized; the Hokage's fiance, or the like. "That sounds unfortunate, but that is neither my concern, nor relevant to my life. I will repeat myself again; you are in my way, shinobi-san." Truth be told, she could do with just side-stepping him and moving on with her day -but the Konoha streets were busy, and now the villagers were talking amongst each other. Now would be a divine time to show them the pride and haughtiness of the heir, lest anyone think they could step out of place simply because she was the new person in town.

He didn't seem at all concerned with her haughty attitude, standing up ungracefully and brushing himself off. "Hai, hai, you're busy, I got it." he spoke casually. "Anyway, I haven't seen you around here -you visiting?"

There was a pause, in which Ayame contemplated responding or simply side-stepping the man and going towards her destination -the Hokage tower, to speak to said Hokage. "Just moved here." Ayame responded casually although with a tone that told him that this conversation was beneath her -did this man really not know? Especially with the proud Haruno insignia glaringly obvious across her attire?

"Oh that's neat! From where?"

"Kirigakure -now if you're done interrogating me, I have places to be." And for added emphasis, since he had not removed himself from her path, her iris once more emerged, wrapped itself around his waist, and moved him for her -not through her own request though, but it seemed her contract was beginning to tire of the talk -he was rather temperamental, after all. As such, she began her trek once more -but the pesky shinobi did not take the hint and simply appeared alongside her and began to walk into pace with her.

"Where you heading to?"

"The Hokage tower."

"Oh what a coincidence! I have to head over there too -to deliver Lady Kushina's message to the Hokage!"

 _'Would you like me to get rid of him, Mistress?'_ The voice of her contract rumbled once more, and she could feel the irritation from her contract -he was just itching to toss the nin as the previously mentioned kunoichi had done. In fact, she could already see him once more appearing from between the cobblestone path -his vines slowly coiling outwards and inching ever so slightly towards the nin.

 _'Iie. I do not need to garner such an unlikable reputation so early after my moving here.'_ Even so, something about his personality seemed almost... contagious.

They had walked the rest of the way to the Hokage's tower together -he talking incessantly, she responding when needed, and her contract growing more and more aggravated by the second.

She had learned from the five minute walk that his name was Jiro Matsube -a surname she did not recognize, which told her that he was not of any regal clan. Which, in all honesty, she had been notified by immediately after meeting him. If the lack of prestige and delicacy in his strides and movements, or the lack of formalities and intellectually phrased statements was not an indication of anything, then the fact that he had allowed himself to get pummeled half way across the village and for the common civilian to see him land ungracefully on his head definitely was.

Despite the ever-growing agitation from her contract, she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the sight of Jiro, tenderly rubbing his head.

* * *

"Ahh, Ayame-sama. It's good to see you -how were your travels?" The Hokage of Konoha, Minato Namikaze, was young - just a year or so older than her, in fact. If she was seen as young for leading her village, she could only imagine the complaints some must of had when Minato took office.

"Fine enough, I suppose." She responded casually, although respectfully. The reputation of the Yellow Flash spoke for itself, and absent-mindedly she couldn't help but wonder how she would have fared against the man before her in battle. Not that it would ever happen; the Haruno had taken a strict hands off policy in the war -perhaps it was the only reason that they had now been welcomed back into Konoha by the very same man before her. "I do not expect the villagers to take too kindly to our appearance here, though." she reasoned out calmly. 'We do arrive at a tumultuous time, after all."

"The war is over, and our village is doing just fine with its reconstruction efforts. There should be no issues with the villagers; they have been told of the underlying circumstances to your relocation. It does not hurt that you did not take part in the war, as well." Minato dismissed her qualms. Perhaps he also simply see the Haruno as a vast asset to have, in and out of the field, villagers' opinions be damned.

"Of course. We never have, and we never will." It was a warning to him too; that if he tried to ask too much of her people that they would simply refuse too, and she was sure that he knew as such.

"Well, as promised by my predecessors, Konoha will always welcome you with open arms."

"Arigatou; we appreciate it. I understand our declaration of returning may have been sudden. I do apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused, to you or your villagers, in any case."

"You need not worry about that, Ayame-sama. The Haruno Compound has remained untouched since you all left -as promised, we have waited for your return."

"The formality is unnecessary, Minato. In fact, once we are fully integrated, it shall be me using that endearment." Ayame spoke respectfully with a small bow his way -first she had to decide that he was a Kage worth following, but afterwards, as was the case before, she would devote her Haruno name and strength to Konoha. "My elders have told me that your sensei was Hiruzen Sarutobi."

"You know of him?"

"Not personally, of course. Apparently he was a student of Tobirama's -one of my predecessors, Kikyou, was close to the Senju. If tradition has been passed on successfully, I suspect that you too will be a great man, just like Hashirama and Tobirama." she spoke with hope. Within these two men, she knew she could trust to pick just and righteous leaders.

"Wait... did you say Haruno?" suddenly their conversation had been cut short -by the pestilence (as her contract would vehemently state) that had followed them like the plague. He was slow in his realization, almost as if he had been warmly listening in to their fond memories before the full weight of their words truly had any impact on the met.

"Hai. Jiro, let me introduce you. This is the Haruno Clan leader; Haruno Ayame."

He sputtered out incompetent apologies and fell to his knees instantly -and at this finally Ayame's tightly kept composure faltered and she couldn't help herself from laughing out.

 _Well, so much for making herself out to look collected, intimidating and respectable._

 _'I don't think I've ever met such an incompetent man before.'_ Her contract spoke, and although she couldn't help but agree, a small smile spread across her features. Despite this he was rather... charming. _'Mistress, you can't possibly be serious?'_ For the life of her, she would never understand why her contract was so overly-protective. Her lack of love life she would accredit to him, not her older brothers, she swore.

Upon seeing her laughing, neither Jiro nor Minato could help from smiling -she'd fit right in here in Konoha.

"Since you're already acquainted, how about I have Jiro show you around town? A lot has changed since the Haruno last stepped in Konoha."

"As promising as that sounds, I don't quite think my contract can handle any more contact with Matsube-san. He is quite temperamental and particularly impatient for what he perceives to be incompetent men."

"Contract?" Minato seemed confused.

" _Incompetent men_?" Jiro seemed even more so. "Who are you calling incompetent?"

Ayame couldn't help the scoff that was released from her lips. "All in due time." she merely smiled softly. "I will keep in touch, Minato, once I have successfully settled my clan in."

"Of course -if there's anything you need, please do not hesitate."

 **End of Chapter**

 **I decided to incorporate the flashback at the end primarily because a reviewer (Katara Tojiro) who commented on Sakura's New Present was curious about the origins of Ayame and her unknown husband. just to add more depth to the character of Ayame, who although wasn't focused on much, truly did play a big role, and her husband, who was never really mentioned up until now, I may litter a few more along the way.**

 **I definitely do want to incorporate more flashbacks about Kikyou/Madara/Hashirama, though. It seemed to be a topic of particular focus for a lot of you. I can't say that writing the back story wasn't also one of my favorite things to write, though.**

 **Also, I know it's been forever, i've run out of excuses. Please forgive me!**

 **Any and all feedback is much appreciated!**


	4. Announcement

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters in any way, shape, or form**

 **Chapter 4: Announcement**

"So he just... accepted it?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Given Sakura's threats, he didn't really have a choice." Kakashi shrugged, glancing at Sakura -they, along with Shisui, Mikoto and Tsunade, were in Itachi's hospital room once again. They had come directly from their meeting with Danzo, as it was a pressing matter after all. "We'll find out if he's cooperating tomorrow; Tsunade has called an announcement to be had, the entirety of the village is to attend. We'll have our official announcement of the results of the war and the burials for the deceased, and bring up the Uchiha massacre then." Kakashi explained.

"And if all goes as planned, tomorrow will also be the day that Itachi will resurface, so to speak -and Shisui." Tsunade nodded in confirmation. "I cannot promise you that the village will accept you with open arms; but I do guarantee you a free man." Tsunade addressed Itachi. "For the time being that'll have to do."

"That is more than I expected," Itachi merely answered calmly, a nod of thanks sent to Tsunade.

"I find it hard to believe Danzo will just stay quiet about this; I've never taken him to be a push over." Sasuke frowned.

"Oh he's far from it." Shisui agreed, armed crossed over his chest. "We should not expect this to be the end of it." What with his prior dealings with the man, Shisui knew better than to think this would be the end of it. For Kami's sake the man had taken his eye when he had felt even the slightest bit of adversity.

"No, we shouldn't." Kakashi agreed. "But this is the best we can do for now," as he spoke, he turned to look at Itachi, who had been relatively quiet this entire time. His bandages had been removed already, and his skin, which had been deathly pale but a week prior, was now beginning to gain a warm hue to it; he knew he could attribute such a change to Mikoto's copious amounts of food and Sakura's watchful eyes and strict care. "Danzo does not know Itachi is amnesic; I have a feeling that the only reason he would hesitate to act is because Itachi has evidence that will incriminate Danzo -as well as Shisui's remaining eye. So long as he does not know, Itachi will be safe."

"And are we to leave things like this?" Sasuke yet again asked.

"Of course not." Sakura interjected quickly. "Danzo will pay for all the harm he has brought to your family, and who knows who else. But as Kakashi-sensei stated, until Itachi recovers his memories, if he so chooses to, we will have to settle for this." Sakura included the caveat, if only to reassure Itachi that if he did indeed not want to recover his memories by force, he ultimately did not have to.

And so it was decidedly settled.

"So what now?" Sasuke asked.

"What now," Tsunade repeated, "I am going to return to my office and meet with the remaining Elders for a formal explanation of what will be said tomorrow; I will also have to inform Danzo that Shisui is in fact alive -I can't wait for that one," she mused. "Kakashi here _will_ go to a healing session with Marika," her eyes glinted with malice at Kakashi's form, already seeing the gears in his head turning to see how he could possibly get out of it- "you two should return home for now. Sakura will begin Itachi's therapy for today, and then she'll handle smuggling him into the Haruno Compound tonight." And as she spoke, she turned around and began to walk away. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. And you, you're coming with me." she grabbed Kakashi by the collar and dragged him out by force without even giving him a chance.

"Hai, shishou." she nodded in her direction, holding in the laugh that threatened to erupt at Kakashi expression. "In any case, I need to go visit Nagato and review some paperwork. Your therapy will not be for another couple hours, Itachi-san." she informed.

"Ahh," as he spoke Sakura gave a small smile, turned, and then walked away, leaving Itachi alone with Mikoto, Sasuke, and Shisui.

"Has Sakura talked to you about your options for recovering your memories?" Sasuke began, now that it was just the Uchiha in the room.

"Ahh -if they do not come back on their own, she said using the Yamanaka to unlock the memories forcefully would work." He paused for a long time before he spoke again. "Sakura-san has also informed me of the option to remain amnesic." Itachi stated thoughtfully.

Sasuke's eyes widened in slight alarm and surprise. "She has?" he spoke tentatively.

"Hai. Given my past, maybe it is something to consider?" he asked genuinely, his eyes darting from Sasuke to Mikoto, to gauge their response to his statement.

"Well, I mean..." Mikoto tried to begin, but she found she didn't exactly know what to say. What could she say without forcing her will upon her son?

"Is this something you truly want, Itachi?" Shisui questioned seriously, staring at his younger cousin.

"I am trying to determine that." Itachi answered honestly. He was not typically one to run away from his past, but Sakura brought up a good point: it was not often that someone got to start anew -a clean slate, so to speak.

"You'd be losing so much." Sasuke countered with a frown. "I don't think that's even an option, Itachi." he objected.

"Sasuke." Mikoto stated with a sort of tenure in her voice that made Sasuke scowl. "Your opinion on the matter should not be the deciding factor to Itachi's actions. Although I understand where you're coming from, we must take Itachi's opinions and feelings into consideration."

"With all due respect, this Itachi does not know what he's giving up by not pursuing his memories." Sasuke countered with a frown. "Is he really in a position to determine this for himself?" Because he knew that the Itachi-nii _he_ knew wouldn't hesitate to regain his knowledge of past events -of Sakura, if he were being honest. Did Itachi now really have the right to make decisions considering he wasn't exactly at his full mental capacity, so to speak? The Itachi he knew -the nii-san he had begun to familiarize himself with the days before the war, had made it blatantly clear, through words and actions, that Sakura quite literally meant life itself for him. So for him to be choosing a new life for himself over Sakura? To be choosing the very same life he had thrown away for the sake of her? Sasuke could not stand for it, never mind the fact that Itachi would also be giving up whatever memories he and Sasuke had managed to create in the passing weeks.

"We cannot let our personal feelings on the matter decide." Shisui agreed with Mikoto. "Despite what we think Itachi may have wanted, we cannot use this as basis for our decision-making. Itachi is here before us now -he is no different than the Itachi we nearly lost to this war." They were one and the same, regardless of the memories one lacked. "Whatever his decision is now, it will reflect his present stance on the matter, and that's the decision we must respect."

"But he is." Sasuke objected with clear anger.

 _Because this Itachi didn't know the love he held for Sakura._

And without memories of her, without her presence, things would not be as they were now. Simply put Itachi was not the same person without knowing her, and he knew it.

-And he knew that Shisui and Mikoto knew this well too.

So why?

"Sasuke." His mother's firm voice brought his anger to a halt almost instantly. "It seems to me Itachi is considering this option as his primary course of action. As his family, we _will_ respect this decision. No but's."

Sasuke's hands balled into tight fists. But he would say no more -he would never talk to his mother like this. But his feathers were ruffled, naturally, and as such he turned and walked away.

Itachi watched his retreating figure with what one could akin to worry. "If my remembering him is so important to him, then I am willing to undergo the task." Itachi stated. He would do anything for his otouto -nothing had changed about his love for his younger brother.

"Iie, Itachi." Mikoto denied with a shake of her head, approaching Itachi's bedside and placing her forehead atop his. "He simply doesn't want you making a decision you would have otherwise regretted. But no matter your decision, we will support you." she spoke lovingly at her eldest.

"...Ah..." even so, his eyes lingered on the open door that Sasuke had left in his wake and questioned the passion in his words.

* * *

Sasuke was furious -partly for himself, but mostly for his brother. He would not pretend to know him very well, having not been a part of his life for so long, but what part he did know -what part he was decidedly certain of, was his nii-san's love for Sakura. After it had practically been decided that his brother would hold off and remain amnesic for the time being (and that no one would say anything to convince him otherwise), Sasuke had walked out and trudged on with purpose right to Sakura's office, where he knew she would inherently be.

He did not knock; he did not even wait to check if she was currently with a patient (he knew she wouldn't be, because her sole charges for the time being were Nagato, Itachi and Kakashi, and Tsunade had already taken the latter with him), as he simply stormed in to the sight of her staring at some paperwork with critical, quizzical eyes. "Why did you tell him that?" He had barged in without announcing himself; hell, without even introducing the topic at hand. Sasuke glared at his teammate then, allowing his displeasure and anger with her to show quite blatantly.

Even so, she knew exactly what he was talking about -had expected this conversation to come eventually, and as such she responded smoothly. "He has a right to know what his options are, Sasuke-kun. As his medic it is simply my duty to inform him." She stated calmly -too calmly, refusing to look away from her paperwork to meet his gaze.

 _"Why?"_ he stressed with irritation. Sakura wasn't giving him the full story.

"I already told you." she responded impassively.

But at this Sasuke approached her desk and grabbed the paperwork from her hand, forcing her to look up at him, angry with her seemingly ignorant behavior. "Give me the real reason Sakura," he glared -he had never been so aggressive with Sakura, but this he could not allow. Not for the sake of his brother, and definitely not for the sake of her happiness.

"Sasuke-kun." she stated with a hint of a warning -he had never (in this timeline, in any case), and would never, talk to her like this. "You will not speak to my in this manner in _my_ office." she reprimanded him at once.

Although he checked his immediately, there was still a sort of agitated urgency in his eyes. "Why did you do it?"

"Why did I do what?" she avoided the question. "Act as his medic and report to him as I professionally should?"

"You brought up the option of him remaining amnesic knowing that it will sound the most favorable to him. Knowing and strictly forbidding him from knowing anything about you and your involvement with him." Sasuke rebutted. _"Why?"_ he stressed once more.

"Because," she simply shrugged him off.

"Because _what_ Sakura?"

"Because he deserves to be happy, Sasuke-kun." Sakura finally snapped with tears at the corner of his eyes -controlled tears she had been keeping at bay since he had questioned her lack of formality with him the other day. She looked up at him then, finally looked at him, and Sasuke was almost taken aback the amount of emotion he saw in them. "He has a chance to forget all the pain he's had to endure -why not give him that?" she pleaded with him, almost as if begging for him to see the reason in this.

 _"You_ made him happy, Sakura." Sasuke stressed. "If you weren't remotely worth it he would not have thrown his life away for you. All the pain he's endured... everything he's gone through; it was all worth it for you. Why can't you see that?"

"You're asking me to divulge to him of our past together when there's a chance he won't remember, Sasuke-kun -when there's a chance he won't _care._ I can't open up to him like that knowing that there's a very likely chance that he won't remember -that he still will choose to remain amnesic, despite knowing what it is he'd be dropping. I can't show him that side of me." Sakura refused, shaking her head. "I refuse to put my heart on my sleeve for him to not even acknowledge our past. To see nothing in his eyes that reflects what we shared."

That would be infinitely more painful than having a one-sided love. At least in that way she knew it was never meant to be. But between her and Itachi? There had been a chance. There had been concrete feelings there, for the both of them, and now she was the only one who could feel that way.

"You won't know unless you try." Sasuke argued stubbornly. He could not stand this -to see the very same Itachi-nii and Sakura-neesan that had cared for him as a child, that had gone through so much together, be separated like this - _over this_.

"His feelings for me... and mine for him... They have nothing to do with you, Sasuke-kun." Sakura finally stated resentfully, standing to once more grab onto the files that Sasuke had robbed her of. "So please, don't make it seem like it's your duty to bring us together." she spoke condescendingly. "Now leave my office -I have a lot to get done."

She had never reprimanded Sasuke like this -never pushed him away to such a degree. But he did not need to tell her what she already knew.

Inversely, he did not understand that she simply cared too much to watch him suffer.

Sasuke was silent -he didn't know what to say. What to do.

"You're making a mistake, Sakura."

"This is not my mistake to make." Sakura stated seriously. "Itachi will decide what he wants to do, and only through his own accord. And the fact that you're here complaining about it means that Mikoto and Shisui agree with me too."

Sasuke walked away then -he knew reasoning with her would not change her mind. Sakura was set in her ways.

After Sasuke left, Sakura allowed herself to once more drop down on her chair, this time with her hand covering her eyes.

 _Don't cry Sakura._

 _Not here._

She could not allow herself to do so.

With a calming breath, she picked up the file that Sasuke had torn away from her grasp and read over its contents one more time to confirm that she wasn't indeed seeing wrong.

 _Negative_

 _Negative_

 _Negative_

Itachi was negative for everything -every single disease, whether viral or bacterial or even fungal and genetic. Whatever he had used those pills for, whatever it was helping him with, it was all gone from his system.

Itachi was healthy -exhausted and weakened, but healthy -and it must be true, for Itachi had not complained once about pain, other than the typical muscle soreness one could attribute to strenuous activity -or perhaps from muscle deteriorating that could have set in as a result of his death. But aside from this, he did not have excruciating pain, meaning that whatever he was using those pills for simply was there no longer.

At least this was good news.

And although Konan's words echoed at the back of her head, she knew one thing to be certain: this had not been her cherry blossom's doing.

 _'Hanami...'_ Kikyou had called it her ultimate technique with her contract; but its complete abilities and limitations had been left conveniently obscure. Whatever its powers had been, it had completely regenerated Nagato's cellular structure. But Nagato's ailments had been physical: Itachi's had been different.

No, she was entirely certain Itachi's currently healthy state had more to do with Kikyou than it did her.

* * *

"Welcome" Sakura had offered only this as she and Itachi had stepped into the Haruno Compound; he looked around, as if taking in all his surroundings. If he had expected this to spur on some sort of memory for him he didn't show, but he stepped into the household, passing Sakura, who had side-stepped immediately after entering the compound and allowed him to pass through. "I do hope you can eventually consider this your new home." As he stepped through, Sakura closed the door behind him and watched him curiously as he observed his surroundings, almost too intently. "Does any of this look familiar to you?"

"Iie. Should it?" It had been the first words he had spoken to her since they had left the hospital; he henge'd as Sasuke (who had been specifically instructed to remain home so he would not be caught) so as to not arouse too much suspicion as he followed Sakura home. As he spoke, he turned to Sakura, his eyes boring into hers as if seeking some answers.

"You were here; before the war." Sakura answered. "Not that I expected you to, you just seemed on edge."

"Ah" Itachi acknowledged. "The last place I considered a home was the Uchiha Compound. It feels like a week since I've last been there. This is simply... different." he searched for words. Not too different in all honesty, since they were both styled traditionally, similar to the Hyuga Compound, but this was simply not his home.

"I can only imagine." Sakura understood.

He genuinely wondered if she could. In Itachi's perspective, he had been gone from home but a week -and now this was his new home. But his home was the Uchiha Compound, not the Haruno. His home had hundreds of _his_ Uchiha kin walking down the Uchiha district. Not the Haruno. It felt as if his entire life had been uprooted, as it realistically had, but now it was starting to set in.

But the district was all but in shambles, his Uchiha kin gone, and every notion of a home he knew gone with it.

Taken from him, by his very hands.

The thoughts arose more feelings of anxiety in him and the obtrusive thoughts began to once more invade his system and override all other senses. Was it ever really a home, if he had never felt accepted and welcome? If he knew the only reason he was well-liked and respected among his peers was because he was heir, and because he was a prodigy?

"It seems Mikoto left us dinner."

He snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look to where Sakura had gone; he heard her voice and followed it to the kitchen, where there were two plates wrapped securely and placed atop the counter. There was a note attached to it, a hand-writing which he could identify as his mother's; absent-mindedly, he couldn't help but feel relief that this hadn't changed.

 _Please do eat before going to sleep!_

 _That means you too Sakura!_

 _-Mikoto_

Itachi could have almost smiled at his mother's typical motherly tendencies, for a lack of better words. Although he did not react, it seemed that Sakura had, and without waiting she turned. "Hungry?" There was a smile on her features, and suddenly he could see how tired she was. He could only imagine that seeing after him and her other patients had taken a toll on her, especially if she was already dealing with chakra depletion and exhaustion, as he had heard from multiple people.

He blinked. "Ah"

Without missing a beat Sakura had grabbed both dishes and headed towards the microwave, unsealing one and sticking it in and turning it on. "Come, it will be ready soon." He acted wordlessly, following her into the kitchen and waiting obtusely by the counter. She did not look at him as she worked, going into a cupboard to retrieve two cups. Just as she had finished pouring water into them, the microwave had sounded, and Sakura replaced one plate with the next. And then she scrummaged through a drawer and pulled out two forks, placed one into the hot plate in her hand, and placed it before him on the counter with one of the cups. "You can start eating; mine will be done shortly."

But he had waited, content in simply observing her and the fluidity of her movements. She was in her element; her home, as comfortable as she could ever be.

And he was here, an eyesore to the confidence and composure that was her. Did she not feel at all affected by his presence here?

"My presence here will not alarm you or your family?" he decided to voice out the thought plaguing his mind.

"Why would it?" she questioned with furled eyebrows. The question seemed ludicrous to her, so much so in fact that she stopped her actions momentarily to turn to look at him with a curious, raised eyebrow.

"Why wouldn't it?" he countered, meeting her raised eyebrow calmly. "Knowing that I am no threat and feeling that I am no threat are two different things."

Sakura sighed, turning back around to resume her actions. "Itachi-san," she spoke in between pulling her plate out of the microwave and grabbing her cup, "you'll come to find we're more than comfortable with your stay here. Besides, as it stands I am the only Haruno living in this house. This is more an Uchiha household than anything else." she spoke about it so casually -did she not know it sounded kind of... depressing?

He did not speak until she had settled across the counter from him and began eating. He followed suit and took a bite and was instantly reminded of home -his Okaa-san's cooking was timeless, it seemed.

"Whose house was this prior to the massacre?" Whether he meant the Haruno or the Uchiha, it didn't matter.

"It was my Okaa-san's... Haruno Ayame. Now it is mine."

"The Clan matriarch." Itachi acknowledged; he had met her a couple times, although he wouldn't say he knew her. "You are Marika-san's younger sister." Of course he had heard Sakura use the endearment before, but that was not to mean it could not have just been an informal address towards the elder Haruno. But now no assumption had to be made; this was definitely her sister, despite the difference in their appearances.

"Hai. Her junior by five years, much like you and Sasuke-kun." she responded casually.

"And yet this is your home?" she had claimed ownership, it seemed; Marika had abandoned the home in a sense, and had left it under Sakura's and Mikoto's care.

"Despite being younger, I am heir to my clan." Sakura stated.

If he was shocked or confused by the news, he didn't show it -if he recalled correctly, as was the case with the previous matriarch Ayame, who despite being one of the younger siblings, had taken up the title. "And where does she reside?" Truth be told, he hadn't seen her past the operation he had undergone whilst under her supervision.

"She has an apartment outside of the compound; I don't understand why she got it, but she did." Sakura smiled slightly; truth be told, she was sure Marika was in there now with Shisui, given the fact that she had not seen the man here the past few days (and Marika of course, was conveniently absent too). But good for her. If her romance with Itachi had taken a century to prosper, his and Marika's had taken a lifetime. Sakura's relationship with Itachi was separated by the laws of time and space. Marika had visited Shisui once a month for the past decade -Shisui simply moved at a snail's pace.

More silence ensued between the two for a while as they ate somewhat comfortably in the presence of one another. Don't ask him why but he had grown a little less stifled by his presence here. "Once we're done here I'll give you a brief tour of the house and show you to your room." Sakura spoke. "Tomorrow will be the funeral service for those who died during the war. From my understanding, Tsunade will also announce to the village your innocence and your and Shisui's... currently not deceased status." she phrased awkwardly. "And from thereon you'll be allowed to roam the streets freely."

He would not argue with her on this matter; he had already addressed his qualms on his acceptance in the village. "Will I stay here until then?"

Sakura scowled. "Of course not; we're saying goodbye to fellow Konoha shinobi. You will accompany the rest of us. We'll be alongside Tsunade in any case, you'll be fine. I've already spoken to Sasuke-kun, you'll have to borrow some of his clothes until there's a suitable time to go shopping for you, seeing as you have no clothes."

The thought of wearing his younger brother's clothes was an odd one, to say the least. His otouto, his junior by five years, had easily outgrown him, even if just by a mere inch.

"Ah." He didn't say much else, simply focusing on the meal before him. He had noted that it was one of his favorites; his mother must have done this on purpose as a welcome home meal, he supposed. The thought made him comfortable enough to smile.

"Mikoto must have made this especially for you." Almost as if she could read his thoughts (or perhaps just saw his smile), she spoke knowingly. Why she would know that this was one of his favorite dishes he couldn't tell -maybe she was guessing, or Mikoto had simply told her as such? "I think she wants you to know this is your home as much as it is ours... you are welcome here, even if you don't feel it yet." It didn't seem like she expected a response from him (of which he was glad because at her statement words simply would not formulate in his head), for she turned her attention back on her food immediately after and began eating once more.

They ate the rest of their meal in relative ease and silence, and when they had both finished at relatively the same time, she had taken their dishes and set them on the sink, and then turned to him.

"If you'd like I can show you to your room now?"

"Ahh" he acknowledged.

She lead and he followed through the dark corridors, mentally mapping out the area. "This here is your room." as she spoke she slid open the shoji door and stepped in, turning on the lights and allowing him space to enter behind her.

It was a simple room, well-furnished and the bed already made for him, although it had an opening that led to what seemed like a study room. Said room had another shoji door on the opposite wall, this one presumably leading outside. At the corner of one of the dresser lay two sets of clothing and a couple towels beside them. "Here's some sleeping wear for you, and this will be for the funeral ceremony tomorrow. The bathroom is right down this hallway on your right." she instructed carefully. "That shoji leads to the outside. If you turn right the next door is to my room; same thing if you go down the hallway. You can come find me if you have any questions."

"Arigatou; you've been very hospitable thus far." he thanked her.

"Of course. I'll be retiring for the night, then. Oyasuminasai, Itachi-san." And so she bowed, giving him one last smile before she walked away, closing the door behind her.

* * *

It had been seven days since the official end of the war. Seven days that had gone by in what seemed like a flurry. Two days had been used up simply to travel back to Konoha, but the remainder of the five days had been pure chaos; healing those who needed healing, reorganizing oneself, helping the villagers to settle once more into their homes, and an assortment of different jobs pertaining to the deceased.

And now there was the announcement, that would incorporate the funerals of those unlucky few who had not managed to survive the war.

Accordingly, everyone was clad in black.

The proceedings for the funeral had been first, bright and early in the morning. Everyone in the village, it seemed, had met within the confines of the Academy, where Tsunade was present atop the building that was her office space. At the forefront was Tsunade and Danzo; on the sidelines were many a people, particularly the rest if the Elders, Shizune, and Sakura, and perhaps most pertinently, two Uchiha, long-since thoughts dead.

Itachi and Shisui stood alongside Sakura and Shizune, on opposite sides from the Elders, as if showing their allegiance with Tsunade by standing on the side closest to her whilst they Danzo.

Neither Uchiha was visible to the rest of the crowd (only Danzo and Tsunade), as the rest of them, but their mere presence seemed to stifle the air around the Elders; Sakura did not bat even an eyelash at them or their skeptical looks. Of course they had been informed of what Tsunade and Danzo were to proclaim within the coming minutes, but it did little to calm their nerves. Which made sense, of course, because she knew among them perhaps were other co-conspirators to the Uchiha Massacre.

But her gripe was not with them.

"Good morning, my fellow Konoha citizens," she began. "It has been a long and grueling week for all of us, in particular for those who have suffered personal losses in these trying times..." Tsunade began. "War has never been pleasant; this is now my second time having to lament and mourn those we cherish, who we have lost in the field of battle..." She paused for a moment, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Much has happened within these past few months, and in particular this past week. A New Age is fast approaching; a new age of peace and prosperity which everyone here has fought valiantly to obtain. Without the international threat of Akatsuki, we now have the opportunity to seize what our predecessors have fought so long to obtain."

Then again another pause.

"But prosperity cannot be obtained by denying the faults of our ancestors, and particularly by denying the truths of our nation." A more cryptic tone had now set in, and some civilians and shinobi alike looked at each other curiously. "Before we continue on with the services for our fallen comrades, there is an announcement that I would like to make,"

None of course could make out the tension in her shoulders or the tight purse of Danzo's lips.

"Given the short time we had to act, a proper announcement was never made; so I will make it now. As it has been confirmed, we had enlisted the aid of former Akatsuki members Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi to help in the war to defeat Madara; and it was their invaluable strength that ultimately led to his defeat, alongside Team Sakura. There have been rumors going around that Uchiha Itachi died in battle; and to clarify, he did." She confirmed; the masses had at once began to speak amongst themselves, although it had been halted quickly after Tsunade had brought her hand up to silence them. "He sacrificed his life to save that of Haruno Sakura's, who alongside Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto eventually defeated Madara. Had he not given his life, we would not have won this war; I know this with certainty," she spoke grimly. "However, through powers of which even I cannot reach, he was resurrected."

If there had been uproar before, it was now twice-fold.

 _Was he in the village?_

 _Had he escaped capture?_

 _Had no one thought to do what Madara could not?_

"Now that the war is over and the threat of Madara is no longer, there is a confession that must be shared to all of you. Of a truth I know and a guilt I share with my predecessors." The villagers waited in baited breath, metaphorically on the edge of their seats.

Among these villagers were the rest of the Uchiha who stood alongside the Haruno and other close friends, some watching with near anticipation while others curiously awaited the reactions of the crowds.

"Uchiha Itachi is innocent of his supposed crimes against Konoha."

Uproar at once boomed from all corners of the area; and at once all eyes searched to the Uchiha currently residing in Konoha for validation, and they looked upwards towards Tsunade unfazed; confident, even.

"To clarify, we are not clearing him of his crimes because of his aid in this war. Simply put, Uchiha Itachi did not murder Shisui, and he was not the culprit behind the Uchiha Massacre."

And so she turned slightly, her eyes making contact with that of Itachi and Shisui (of which no one at the bottom could see). And so she motioned them towards her, and they moved in unison, approaching the front for all eyes to lay upon them.

Audible gasps exploded.

 _He's here, now?_

 _Is that Uchiha Shisui?_

 _But it can't be!_

 _His body was never recovered!_

The crowd went up in protest to say the least, but Tsunade had silenced them all at once. "I know this may be hard to believe -but it is the truth."

And as if on queue, Danzo stepped up from beside her -begrudgingly, of course, although none could detect it. "As you can see, the rumor that Uchiha Itachi had murdered Uchiha Shisui was false, for he stands before us now. And as for the accusation of the more serious crime... The Uchiha Massacre was enacted by Uchiha Madara; the very same man who started this war. Uchiha Itachi had discovered his existence and had reported it directly to me and Lord Third. We tasked Itachi to take the blame, so as to prevent paranoia and chaos from ensuing. We could not afford to shake the world to its very core; this nation of ours, who was not yet ready to deal with the threat of a past legend, until we could first discover how he was still alive and figure out his aspirations. We had Itachi take responsibility for these atrocious acts so that Madara would not catch on that Konoha knew the truth behind his identity -so that Itachi would appear betrayed by his nation, and subsequently would turn on it and exact his revenge in the very organization founded by Madara." His words were carefully articulated -carefully worded so that neither he nor Itachi seemed the least bit guilty, and even his tone seemed sad and repentant.

"We know it may be hard to accept -but over the next few weeks Itachi and Shisui will once more be integrated back into the village. Neither of them are enemies -they are valiant heroes who protected the village from Madara in their own way, and even aided in Madara's ultimate defeat less than a week ago." Danzo spoke seriously -only those immediately behind him, such as Tsunade and Sakura, could see the ever-tightening fist kept tucked behind his robe. "They are comrades, and they will mourn the death of our fellow Konoha shinobi alongside us in today's proceedings. Please be respectful and courteous for today's proceedings."

And that had been all he had stated, and with his job done he had withdrawn himself and left to join his fellow Elders.

Tsunade had taken up the attention once more, Shisui and Itachi still standing alongside her. "Without further delay, we will be continuing on with today's proceedings." She had continued talking for a few more minutes before she had concluded her speech, summing it up with a few, sweet words. "When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew. These words, spoken by my sensei and former Hokage, hold true today. Despite the loss and sacrifices we have had to endure, Konohagakure will stand strong and burn bright with the Will of Fire."

The masses began to slowly leave from thereon; walking towards the place in which the ceremony for the funerals would ensue. Shisui and Itachi had left shortly afterwards to seek out the rest of the Uchiha and officially make their entrance into Konoha, which had left Tsunade with Sakura, Shizune, and the Elders. And although it seemed like it had been done, Danzo had approached her, no longer having to hide his wrath from the villagers.

Tsunade merely looked at him with bored eyes as he approached. "Come to ask if your acting was up to par, Danzo?" she questioned sarcastically.

If Danzo was bothered by her statement, he didn't show. "Don't think that I'll bow down so mercilessly to your every whim, Tsunade." Danzo glared. "You or that Haruno pet of yours." as he stated this, he glared at Sakura too -perhaps more of a threat than Tsunade herself, simply waiting in the sidelines with Shizune.

"I suggest you bite your tongue, Danzo. This isn't you keeling over to my demands as you'd like to think, if only because it gives you a reason to stand up against me. This is us bringing some semblance of justice to a boy you manipulated into doing your bidding without council from your own Hokage." Tsunade's eyes narrowed. If the facts were laid bare and Itachi's and Shisui's prodigal intelligence and skills were put aside, the facts of the case was that Danzo had usurped Sarutobi's authority, stolen a boy's eye to solidify his power, (at the mere age of sixteen!) and when his plans had failed, he ultimately cornered, black-mailed, and manipulated a child at the age of thirteen to slaughter the entirety of his family and leave Konoha a mass-murdering, cold-blooded killer. "You're lucky there is no evidence other than Itachi's own account, or I would have your head for treason against your own village."

"I protected Konoha from the Uchiha and you know it. Their coupe would have gone impeded because of that fool you call a sensei. _I_ did what he would not. What he lacked the spine to do."

"If and when it would have come to pass, Hiruzen would have handled it." Tsunade clipped in, restraining the fist that was threatening to attack at the insult to her former sensei. "As was his job to do so, _not yours_. You condemned a _boy_ to pay for the actions his clan had never even taken. You failed to see what those with the strength and commitment to protect this village could have done to save it. And it was ultimately ignorant behavior such as _yours_ that the Uchiha grew resentful of. I will not pretend that the Uchiha were saints... but they definitely did _not_ deserve the punishment you enacted without at least an attempt to hear them out and reach some sort of middle ground."

"I don't need to take criticisms from somebody who abandoned their village for gambling and booze." he sneered. If he had hoped to provoke Tsunade with this remark, he didn't get his way and she simply stared at him indifferently.

"I tire of your incessant babbling Danzo -if you have nothing pertinent to say, then our conversation is done." she might as well have yawned in his face.

He glared but said no more -with a swish of his robes he turned and began to walk away, but not before narrowing his eyes at Sakura.

Once he left, Tsunade let out a sigh of relief, walking up to her two counter-parts, simply waiting (and of course eavesdropping) for her conversation -nay, argument, with Danzo to be over. "My Kami this actually worked." The confidence she had superbly faked in front of Danzo immediately dissipated in front of her two comrades.

"I have to admit, you sure told him." Shizune stated, relieved Tsunade hadn't brought the entirety of the building toppling down simply at Danzo's remarks about Hiruzen. "It seems like you've scared Danzo into submission."

"Well, we won't really know until we see how the villagers react, will we?" Sakura responded with a frown. Only the coming days would show just how the village was taking the news of Itachi's false defection.

"Your standing alongside him will do much to ease the qualms of our people, Sakura, I can attest to that." Tsunade stated. As she spoke, they all turned around and began to walk away, lest they run late to the funeral services.

"I mean nothing to the village right now, Tsunade." Sakura countered with a raised eyebrow.

"Apart from being the leading cause for winning this war?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Come on, I know you've been cooped up in the hospital for the past week and as such haven't faced the full weight of your actions, but have you not noticed how the entirety of the female population is following _Naruto_ around?" She raised her eyebrow. "Sasuke, sure, I get it, it's not unusual, but _Naruto?"_

"So he's popular now." Sakura shrugged off.

"Sakura you guys are heroes." Tsunade silenced her former apprentice. "I know you may be used to living in the shadows of those two monsters, but it's time you wake up and face the facts. You saved literal _thousands_ in the war." And quite frankly, that was no exaggeration. "Mei attested to the fact that you saved her and Gaara from being decimated by a Madara _clone._ Every front of the war established the fact that cherry blossom trees had emerged everywhere and began to heal them and replenish their chakra. You awakened the _Rinnegan."_ Of course this was something only a particular few knew, and truth be told it was best it remained that way; she didn't need anyone trying to target Sakura for an ability she could probably never recreate again.

"Those were all things I did with the help of my Kami, shishou." Sakura countered.

"And ability only _you_ can access." Tsunade countered smoothly once more. "Look, I won't try and convince you any further; you'll find proof of it yourself once you stop being a hermit. The villagers may know nothing of what truly happened in the battlefield, but our shinobi do -and that will speak volumes as it is. All of your actions were possible only because Itachi sacrificed himself to save you -and the entirety of the village now knows this."

"It will help." Sakura consented. "But this will not be enough of a driving force to have an entire nation accept someone it so completely despised and rejected up until today. I am not enough nearly special enough for that."

"Not yet you aren't." she confirmed. "But don't you think it's time that you change that?"

Tsunade's statement had taken her aback completely, and Sakura had paused in her steps to stare dumb-foundedly at her shishou. "What do you mean by that?"

Tsunade and Shizune had halted their own movements and turned to stare at Sakura. "Well, now seems like an appropriate time for you to take your rightful role as leader, don't you think Sakura? I think you've more than earned it."

Sakura frowned -truth be told, this hadn't even been a thought that crossed her mind, but Tsunade was right.

 _When would she take on her rightful role as leader of the Haruno Clan? And if not now, what else would she have to do to prove herself ready and capable to do so?_

Sure she was young, but at the ripe age of nineteen, but her mother had taken leadership of her clan at twenty two, only three years after her. But she had lived more than her mother; fought more, achieved more, and learned more than her mother could have ever living in a state of non-interference in the Shinobi World War. But was that all it took to lead her clan? Sakura had been coddled and protected most of her adult life; it had not been until she traveled to the past that she truly fell into her role as Haruno heir, if she were being honest to herself. And although that had occurred over a decade in the past, it could not have been more than a couple years for her. A couple grueling, difficult years in which she had learned more about herself than she ever had, more about the world, and more about her clan. "I don't know if I'm ready, shishou." Sakura stated hesitantly.

"But I do." as she spoke, she put an arm on her shoulder. "It would do the village a world of good to hear that someone like you is finally going to take charge, Sakura. We need this. Jiraiya and I are getting old; our titles as Sannin have all but expired, especially with the feats you three pulled off in the war." In fact, Tsunade was quite ready to dub them the new Sannin -and hopefully this time no one's reputation would be tainted. "Konoha needs to know they have strong leaders such as yourselves at the forefront of it's politics."

"Tsunade-sama is right." Shizune agreed, staring at the person she had for so long considered a younger sister. She had blossomed into a fine woman, and she was too much of a dunce to notice the change in herself. "Besides, who is going to keep Naruto and Sasuke in line? All this glory is bound to go to their heads."

And this was most certainly a statement she could not deny -it almost made her laugh. "I understand -I don't exactly know what this entails for me or how to go about it, though."

"Do not worry; that will be my job. But if you are sure you want to go through with this, then I will speak to the Daimyo." Tsunade stated.

No, she wasn't sure, but it wasn't like she had much of a choice now. This was not about her feeling ready; this was about the village needing her to be. And for this village that she loved so dearly, she would absolutely do it. "Hai."

"Then it's settled." Tsunade confirmed, releasing her grip on Sakura's shoulder, although her gaze did not leave that of her former apprentice. How could she have gotten so, immensely lucky to have gotten such a student?

Nay, a second-cousin! She was practically Sakura's auntie! "You've done great Sakura." it was an earnest moment of vulnerability and truth for Tsunade, and it had made Sakura blush in embarrassment.

"Hai, hai, come on, we're already late for the funeral. Danzo will use this to pick another fight with you if we don't hurry." Ever the reasonable personality to Tsunade's careless one, she saved Sakura from any further embarrassment. "Everyone must be waiting for your arrival to start the farewell, come."

And so it had been, and the three females continued on their journey.

 **End of Chapter**

 **Hi everyone! Again, I know it's been an eternity, I've run out of excuses, but here is the next chapter.**

 **Lots of drama in here, I hope everyone has enjoyed it, please let me know what you all think of the developments so far!**

 **I know many of you are upset with me about the whole amnesia thing and think Sakura is being unreasonable -and just to clarify, it is. But in my perspective, she would literally be putting Itachi through hell having to remember all the horrors he's had to endure in life simply to remember her. I do not think that Sakura would be so selfish as to condemn Itachi to a life haunted by his demons simply for her sake.**

 **That is not to mean that her love is over -and trust me when I say it will be a tough, dramatic plot, but it will have a happy ending so do bear with me and just ride this roller coaster out; it will be fun I promise.**

 **Any and all feedback is much appreciated!**

 **-MarzSpy**


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